So We Fell In Love
by OhMyPosh
Summary: Picking up after Myka and Helena's goodbye in S04E15, Helena returns to her life in suburbia until it becomes clear her life is in danger and she must depend on the team to save her life one more time. With Bering & Wells reunited, Myka struggles with her feelings for Helena and is forced to come to terms with what is destined to be. I do not own these characters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Myka leaned back into the car as the window rolled up beside of her, her body still warm from the embrace. Myka reached a hand to her shoulder blade to soak up the last bit of warmth she could find before the cold reality of the situation stole it from her. She wanted Helena to be happy, she knew that she had wanted nothing more than to have a family. Myka could never forget the loss that Helena faced when Christina's life had been taken or longing in her eyes as the petite brunette she reached for the locket around her neck. Helena had long wanted a family and now Nate was offering her his entire world. It was a perfect match, a woman longing for her child and a single father longing for someone to love his daughter as much as her mother would have. Myka knew it made sense; she had come to terms with Helena's search for happiness and meant it when she told Helena to fight for him. That she was meant to care for someone and that this should be her home. Afterall, Myka could think of no one who deserved a happy ending more than Helena G. Wells. She had also meant what she had said about her fear of losing a friend, Myka had grown close to Helena. Long ago Myka would spend hours in her father's bookstore reading about time machines and grappling hooks, she longed for the adventures written in these books. The day she met Helena, Myka's heart skipped a beat. The very author whose books she dedicated much of her childhood to was standing just before her not a day older than her now. Instantly Myka felt a connection to witty brunette and her brash ways.

For a moment she thought to look back at Helena in the side mirror of the silver SUV, she imagined Helena standing there alone in the driveway of Nate's home wrapping her ams around her body just as she had. She inhaled sharply at the thought of seeing the fair features once more, her dark hair framing her thin face and sharp jaw. As the SUV took a left turn out of the sight of the small suburban house, Myka knew her chance had passed. The muscles in her stomached tightened at passed moment, she saved herself from seeing Helena standing there as Nate came out to see what had kept her so long. She wouldn't have to witness the way he slipped his strong arm around her dainty waist as they drove away. She imagined Helena snuggling into his broad chest after their taillights had disappeared behind the house on the corner, allowing herself to be lead back into the house to the little girl that waited inside.

No, Myka wouldn't have to see Helena stand there with everything she had ever wanted as felt herself lose the one person who knew her better than anyone else. Instead, she looked to her left at Pete who had been uncharacteristically silent as he drove the SUV out of the neighborhood and onto a country road. His eyes were sad and stared straight ahead as if he wasn't sure what to do or say. Myka let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, sunk back into the comfort of the passenger seat, and wiped away the tears that had collected on her cheeks. She tilted her head against the window and looked out upon the vast amount of field that now surrounded them. The lightning bugs were slowing growing in number and could be seen dancing between the stalks of wheat. She remembered her parents taking night drives through the country when she was younger. Myka would lean her head against the cold window of the car and listen to the crickets chirp. Almost as if Pete had known what she was thinking, the windows of the SUV rolled down and the cool breeze blew through Myka's wild curls and onto her cheeks drying the tears trails down her face. At first it was cold and pained Myka's face but soon Myka lost herself in the song of the crickets. When she was younger Myka pretend to know what the crickets were saying to one another, some nights they would be singing, others they would be reciting love poems, but tonight, Myka thought to herself, they were just as sad as she was.

Pete had left the windows rolled down most of the trip back to the warehouse until they had reached the interstate. The wind had became too strong and Myka's hair was whipping about the car as if it were having a hysterical protest against the open windows. Pete looked over at Myka fighting to keep her lively curls at bay and reluctantly rolled the windows back up sealing the two back into a bubble of solemn silence. Noticing Pete's hesitancy Myka leaned forward and turned on the radio. It was the least she could do seeing as how she hadn't made a single effort to acknowledge Pete since they left the driveway. As her finger left the button, Kansas came blaring through the speakers and jumped in excitement Pete was drumming along on the steering wheel. Pete always set his presets to the classic rock stations an knew each song by heart. It wasn't long before he was screaming along with the chorus of Carry On My Wayward Son; Myka stifled a laugh as she noticed the veins in Pete's neck strain against his vocal chords and she felt a happiness she thought she had forgotten. Myka allowed herself to bob to music and join along when the chorus came once again.

_"Carry on my wayward on, there'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more…"_

The music fade into the background as Myka's eyelids became heavy and she laid her head once again against the cool window the sound of the vibrations of the rotating tired lull her to sleep and she drifts off.

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Myka and Pete arrived at the B&amp;B early the next morning, the drive to the airport consisted of Pete whispering the lyrics to the songs on the radio as Myka slept against the car door. The plane ride wasn't much different. Myka was silent and still going through security and stared out the plane window with a look of defeat painted across her usually furrowed brow. Her head tilted towards the plane window and once again Pete was left alone with not knowing what to do. The car ride back to the inn was seemingly normal, Pete was rambling about what would want for breakfast and even took a moment to remember Lena and the amazing breakfast spreads she would have prepared for the team.

"As if she wasn't easy enough on the eyes, she sure was easy for the stomach. You know Mykes?" Pete asked as he had come to an end reminiscing about the scones Lena would make.

Myka smiled at Pete's simple desires and agreed, "Yeah, they were pretty good if you didn't eat them all first! I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Abigail isn't Lena, you may just have to learn how to cereal and milk yourself!."

Pete was happy to see that Myka still had her sense of humor.

Abigail, Claudia, and Jinks were already sitting at the dinning room table when the pair walked in. Artie had been working late cataloging artifacts for the past couple of weeks and had become prone to showing up after breakfast had been devoured. Pete made a straight line for the kitchen when he spotted Claudia' scones.

"How'd it go with HG?! What's she doing in Wisconsin? Is she coming back to rejoin the team?" Claudia asked excitedly. She had always like HG's wit and fast thinking.

"Good to see you too, Claudia. It was a good snag and bag. Helena is seeing a man named Nate and his daughter Adelaide and she's happy there."

Claudia gave a doubtful look that the great inventor Helena George Wells would be happy anywhere that wasn't the warehouse.

Noticing her disbelief Myka added, "I think it's great to know that a normal life it still possible after all she's been through. She deserves to have be happy and Nate and his daughter are dong just that."

Jinks was too busy finishing off his orange juice and guarding his last scone from Pete to hear Myka's less than truthful reply. Pete had managed to sneak one of the baked goods off of his plate and was now running around the table, stuffing as much of the pastry into his mouth as possible.

Seeing this as the ideal moment to sneak upstairs, "Well I'm going to take a shower and I'll see you guys later…" she trailed off as she ascended the stairs looking forward to some alone time to gather herself before the next "ping".

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Back in Wisconsin, the sun was just beginning to break through the shades of Nate's bedroom. A stream of light shone brightly on Helena's eyes and she was forced out of her slumber and into a brand new day. Sliding out from under Nate's arm, Helena tiptoed to the end of the bed where her silk robe and slippers were waiting for her. It had grown habitual that she would get up before Nate and Adelaide to enjoy a cup of tea and the news paper before the day officially began. Last night's conversation had taken a long time to explain and at this point, Helena wasn't entirely certain Nate understood it at all. How could she blame him though, it's not everyday you find out your girlfriend is the 147 year old father of science fiction. Luckily, the exposure the artifact had made Nate more susceptible to nontraditional ways of thinking. After Myka and Pete left, Helena had taken a deep breath and walked back into the house expecting a large fight to take place. Instead Nate was calmly sitting on the couch waiting for her to return.

"Nate…" Helena began, not sure how to start.

"Emily… Helena?" Nate looked at her curiously.

"Yes darling, my name is Helena. Helena George Wells." She replied, her voice shaky.

"H.G. Wells, the science fiction author?" Nate tried to put the pieces together.

"Yes Nate, H. G. Wells. Mother, Author, Inventor, and Warehouse Agent."

Helena decided her titles were a good summation of who she was. Nate looked at her blankly. Helena then spun into a rant trying to fill in Nate on everything that had happened, how she lost Christina, when she was brought to the warehouse, how she was bronzed, when she was unbronzed, how she became a part of warehouse 13, and Myka but none of Helena's words seemed to land in Nate's mind. Nate's eyes were fixed on the coffee table before him and waited for a moment before he interrupted Helena she was attempting to explain her relationship the agent that had just let their home when he finally found his strength,

"Stop, stop Helena. Just stop." Nate looked confused, hurt, but mostly confused. Helena braced herself for what would come next.

"Do you love Adelaide?" He asked vulnerably.

"Yes, most dearly. I love your daughter as if she were my own." Helena replied while reaching out for Nate's hands and holding them tightly as a tear began to form in the corner of her eye.

"And you would protect for from everything and anything you could, right? He asked trying to find some stability in the conversation.

"I would never let anything happen to Adelaide. Nate you must believe me. I called Pete and Myka so that I could stay out of it. I'm done with that part of my life." Helena squeezed his hands tightly as she began to fill with regret for making the call in the first place.

Her mind spiraled into a world of possible outcomes that could have occurred that would have kept Adelaide out of danger's way.

Seeing her eyes searching for answers, Nate asked, "Do you love me?".

"Nate how could I not love you. You are a solid, honest, kind, and wonderful man. You have welcomed me into your home and into your lives. I need this, I need you." Helena replied as tears fell onto her cheeks and Nate wiped them away as he pulled her into his arms.

Helena turned on the kettle and quietly opened the front door to collect the daily news. As she stood a large yawn escaped her, the night had been long but it had also been beneficial. The pair decided that drudging up the past was not the key to their future together. Anything he needed to know, he would learn in time. All that mattered to Nate was that the feelings they shared all along were hoped that she would be able to keep the lifestyle she had grown accustomed to her in her life as Emily Lake, she created a game for herself whilst reading the paper, she would read through the international news section and try and find articles headlines that fit the work of the warehouse had found a few that she was certain were due to artifacts and enjoyed the reporters work to explain the odd phenomena. _Ignorance is bliss, at least that is what they say, _Helena thought to herself as she laughed. Truth be told, she was beginning to miss the adventures before the most recent event. She was almost pleased to be able to hear Myka's voice on the other end of the line. She hadn't wanted to bring the warehouse back into her life but bringing parts of it wouldn't cause too much harm she assured herself. It had been quite a while since Helena had been able to contact the agents. After returing the astrolade, Helena sought out a new life away from the artifacts but despite her efforts an artifact had found its way into her life. Helena's mind drifted from the paper to her last encounter with the agents. Myka was different, distant. Her demeanor much more stiff and uncertain than in the past and her tone was quizzical and almost hurt when she found out that Helena had not contacted the warehouse out of her own will. The fallen face of Myka Bering burned in her mind she hadn't meant to hurt her. Just then the kettle began its harsh, loud squeal and Helena was jolted from the memories.

The petite brunette sprung from her seat at the table and lunged at the kettle hushing its squeals in hopes of not waking Adelaide nor Nate for a bit longer. She fixed her cup of tea and once again took her place in front of the large bay window in the kitchen. _This feels right, _Helena thought, _a roof over my head, a cup of tea in my hand, a darling girl who loves me, and a man that I adore. _Helena sighed with relief and picked up her paper and began her reading. Not long after, small footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and Helena's heart warmed at the sight of the groggy little girl in her night gown. Adelaide's hair was matted to one side and one of her socks had gone missing in the night but Helena thought she was the most darling sight she could see. Greeting the little girl half way across the kitchen, Helena kissed the top of the little girl's head and whispered in her ear, "I believe your father is still being visited by the sandman, how about we go and interrupt?" Helena said with a wink. She and Adelaide quickly ran into the master bedroom and onto the large king size bed, waking Nate from his slumber and ending in a large tickle fight for all. _This, this is home, _Helena thought as the three slumped back into the bed exhausted from the valiant efforts to tickle one another to death. For the first time in nearly a decade, she felt like she belonged.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Nearly two months had passed in the Bed and Breakfast, Artie had managed to find a record number of pings and had the team flying across the world day and night. So far the team had recovered John F. Kennedy's tie pin, Betty Ross' sewing needle, Marlon Brando's spats, Elvis' suede shoes, Pee Wee Herman's bow tie, Walt Disney's pencil, and Judy Garland's ruby slippers and those were just the American ones. Claudia and Jinks were enjoying the sight seeing between pings and were already searching for new artifacts on their plane rides home. It never seemed to get old for Claudio, Jinks on the other hand could done without the musical number needed to reclaim the ruby slippers or the design seminar that attended disguised as a popular Italian designer in order to bag the sewing needle. Somehow, Claudia always managed to find a way to take Jinksy back to his gay roots. A trip Jinks was promised to avoid when he won the bet with Claudia that one of the designers was actually a man in woman's clothing and not a woman with an Adam's apple. Winning meant that he could pick his partner for the next ping.

Looking across the breakfast table, Pete's mouth was crammed full of bagel and jelly was squirting out of the sides as he solved the crossword search on the back of the cereal box, Claudio was taking apart her Farnsworth for the second time this morning in hopes she could program with GPS capabilities, Artie was flipping pages of a thick book that appeared to have been collecting dust for as long as the warehouse existed and last but not least was Myka, sipping her coffee and reading a tattered novel called the Shape of Things to Come. Jinks could help notice in small letters beneath the title the name of the author "H.G. Wells".

"I choose Myka." Jinks declared to the table.

The others looked up in confusion, "I didn't think she was your type there Jinksy. I mean if it was going to be anybody I atleast thought I had the best chance being the only other guy on the team." Pete interrupted, he was clearly a little upset that Jinks wouldn't desire him.

Artie coughed loudly making his presence known, "Ok other than Artie but I mean, come on! Look at me!", Pete continued he began flexing his biceps and posed like a greek statue, jelly still oozing from the corners of his mouth.

"Calm down there Casanova, Jinksy and I made a bet and I lost. He's not choosing a life partner just a "ping partner"," Claudia burst into laughter as she spoke. She couldn't have imagined that Pete would be so heartbroken by Jinks' decision. She would have to use this against him later in life.

Separate from the hustle and bustle of the conversation, Myka set down her book and kindly ask, "Ok, what's going on? And Pete for god sake put your shirt back down and wipe your face!" Myka demanded.

"But Mykes! I'm totally the better looki…" Pete interrupted.

"PETE!" Myka stopped his whining.

"Myka, I'd like you to be my partner on the next snag and bag. I think I deserve a break from these two after what I've seen this week!" Jinks stated matter of factly as he eyed Myka's book.

Noticing the direction of his eyes, Myka slid her hand over the cover and replied, "I believe that can be arranged, Pete, Claudia, don't kill each other while we're gone."

Just then Artie stormed into the B&amp;B, "Troops pack your bags, you're headed out I just got a pin in London for an artifact I've been trying to bag for nearly 20 years now. That queen is a tricky lady!"

Jinks and Myka looked at each other, down at the book, and then back at each other, "Great."Myka replied.

_That was a lie, _Jinks thought and knew.

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Things had been going swimmingly with Nate and Adelaide, Nate had cleared out his wife's old gardening shed for Helena to use as a workshop for her inventions and writing. Helena had found a rhythm, morning tea, breakfast with Adelaide and Nate before heading to work in the lab, picking up Adelaide from her Kenpo lessons, and back home in time for Nate to cook them dinner. Helena liked Nate, he didn't expect her to be overly docile or fragile as many men had in the past. Nate respected her independence and appreciated having a "team mate" of his own. Although Nate didn't understand half of what Helena was working on in the shed, he was always happy to listen.

"We are a team, Adelaide." Helena replied at dinner when the young girl was going on about having a "spy team" of her own. Helena was really confirming what Nate was always saying.

"Yes we are." Nate replied with a smile and reaching over to take Helena's hand in his own.

"A team I'd like to make even closer…", Nate whispered to Helena as she coughed and interrupted him before Adelaide could catch on. Her lessons on deductive reasoning had been a double-edge sword and Helena had to be extra careful about anything she or Nate said or did around her now.

"Adelaide, darling, why don't you show your father what you learned in today's lesson." Helena suggest as a smile crept across her lips.

"Very funny. I know what you're doing, Helena." Nate replied as he was dragged from the dinner table and out the French doors which lead to the backyard.

"Simply encouraging father-daughter learning opportunities!", Helena yelled after them.

Nate had been very clear with Helena that he wished to marry again. He had been so clear as to state that he wished to marry Helena one day. Helena on the contrary was not as "gung ho" about the idea. Marriage had always seemed so barbaric to her, a means of ownership disguised as an act of true love. She did not need a ring and a ceremony to love Nate, she already did. She would do anything to keep Nate and Adelaide safe, a wedding wouldn't change that. The two had been together for nearly eight months now and Helena wasn't in any sort of a rush especially since there was a child to worry about. Helena went about cleaning up the dishes as she watched Adelaide ruthlessly take Nate down for the fourth or fifth time. Adelaide was a quick learner and had picked up the art just ask quick as Helena had when she were younger. Adelaide was so much more to Helena, she often reminded her of her own Christina in the way that she played or a smile that would spread across her innocent face. Adelaide and Christina would have been close friends, Helena was sure of it. A shot of guilt rang through Helena's body at the thought, she couldn't help but wish that Christina were here to be apart of her new family.

Just then the French doors opened and in hobbled a rather beaten down Nate and his daughter who appeared to be bubbling over with pride at her ability to take down a full grown man.

"You owe me, Helena." Nate whispered in her ear as he headed to the bedroom to shower.

"I'm certain I don't know what you're talking about, my love." Helena called after him as she gave a wink and a high-five to Adelaide.

"Now off to bed with you, darling, quick shower before hand and don't forget to brush your teeth. There are children in London who wish to have teeth as nice as yours!" Helena called after the child as we climbed the stairs.

Helena rung her hands out in the sink and took a deep breath before walking to the bedroom, she knew what tonight's conversation would be about and she wasn't entirely prepared to turn Nate down once again.

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Jinks and Myka had already boarded the plane to London, Myka allowed for Jinks to take the window seat as she had taken this trip before and didn't care to be reminded of it. Instead, Myka dug a book out of her bag and began reading.

"Interesting book you have there, doing a bit of research on the artifact?" Jinks questioned teasingly. Myka was still reading the same book as this morning and she knew fully well why Jinks found this to be so amusing.

"Why yes actually, H.G. Wells, uhh… Helena lived in London, much of what she wrote was based off of her knowledge and experiences as warehouse agent. I'm certain that there is a key in this book about the queen's jewels.

_Lie, truth, and lie, _Jinks thought to himself.

He had been much more aware of Myka's actions since she had returned from Wisconsin with Pete. As the others just shrugged off Myka's unusual silence and even greater determined work ethic as her way of dealing with such a stressful couple of months, Jinks knew there was more to the puzzle. He had seen this all before, better yet, he lived it. After Jinks and his last boyfriend broke up, he kept to himself, worked hard, and in his spare time he did all that he could to forget that it ever happened. After a few months however, the routine wore thin and he found himself searching for bits of the man, he would reread old letters that he had kept and slept in the other man's shirt. Applying the same timeline to Myka's situation, Jinks had come to the conclusion that she was missing H.G. and the trip to her hometown would do the brunette agent some good.

"There's no shame in missing her…", Jinks whispered to Myka as the flight attendants prepared the plane for take off.

"I wish it felt that way" Myka responded as she closed the book in her lap and traced the edges of its jacket.

She thought she had been flying under the radar. They had bagged more artifacts in the past couple of months than she could count but, Myka couldn't help but feel the sinking feeling that filled her body once the artifact had been reclaimed and nothing was left to keep her mind off of Helena. She thought to call for that cup of coffee they joked about as she left but every time her fingers grazed the buttons on her mobile she froze. What could she say to the woman who wanted a life a way from the warehouse, away from her? She decided to respect Helena's wishes, at least that's what she told herself and she would tuck her phone back into her pocket.

The plane landed with only a few bumps along the way, the two found their bags and headed their way to pick up the rental car Artie had reserved for them.

"There's got to be some kind of mistake" Jinks said as he held the keys to the small black mini cooper "I'm picking up a car for Agent Bering and Jinks not for Barnum and Bailey". Myka grabbed the keys from the perturbed agent's hands and opened up the back hatch to throw in their bags.

"Didn't know you could be such a diva" Myka jested at Jinks, "maybe Claude was right about letting out your inner queen!".

Jinks rolled his eyes and slumped into the passenger seat. Myka could tease him all she wanted, he had plenty to hold over her head when the time called for it. Myka navigated the narrow roads with ease, the small car seemed to mold to her body and a smile spread across her face as she pressed the gas pedal down further.

Noticing her drastic change in mood, Jinks smiled "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've strayed the London way a time of two before!".

Realizing what Jinks was insinuating, she laughed and with a large grin she said, "You have no idea".

The small black car took a large sweeping turn across two lanes of traffic and drifted across a gravel parking lot in front of an old boarding house. Putting the car in park, Myka had an air about her she had long forgotten. Confidence, it was flowing through her veins like a drug and she quickly departed the small automobile and made her way up the stairs to the front entrance of the house. Jinks wasn't sure what just happened but, whatever it was, he knew that this trip just became very interesting. Noticing Myka's annoyed face, Jinks scrambled out of the car and joined her on the porch.

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"Helena I know you aren't fond of the idea but I look at the life my parent's shared and I don't see an ownership. I see two people who loved each other so much that they refused the let the world ever part them. They made a declaration to their loved ones and to their country that they would stand together through any storm. Marriage doesn't have to be a ball and chain, it can be a tether so that when you fall you know the other person will always be there to catch you." Nate argued as Helena couldn't help but smile at the man's earnest and honest declaration.

"I'd much rather have a grappling hook than a tether" Helena retorted remembering how the other agents had poked fun at the contraption's age. The very same contraption that had saved Myka's life when she was about to become road kill.

"I'll be your grappling hook then" Nate replied, "you can pull be out of your holster and rely on me whenever you need me. Just let me be apart of your arsenal."

Helena appreciated Nate's efforts to speak to her in a way that she understood even if he wasn't entirely certain he was conveying the desired message.

"Darling, I love you dearly and would do most anything to see you happy but, this… this…" Helena began not sure where she would take this "is this what you really want? Am I what you really want? Think about what you're signing yourself up for! Do you really want to wake up everyday married to the father of science fiction?!" Helena was hoping to spring some sense into Nate's mind.

"Well I'm not sure I'm entirely open to having a same sex wedding but, if that's what you feel most comfortable with Helena GEORGE Wells. I'd do whatever it takes to make this family official. I'll even call up my tailor and have a suit made for you if it strikes your fancy." Nate joked knowing that he was about to win this portion of the argument with this obscure retort.

Helena was laughing at the man's argument and couldn't help but feel a soft spot in her heart for the man's plea.

"Could he make a holster for my grappling hook?" Helena replied as tears of joy filled her eyes

"Can't be without my grappling hook!" she finished as she leaned in and kissed Nate softly on his scruffy chin.

Nate wrapped his arms around the petite woman and held her close to his chest as a sigh of relief and finality escaped them.

Just then Adelaide walked in and took in the scene, "You're sitting close and your arms are holding each other, your eyes are watery and neither of you have spoken for the last couple of minutes. Either something bad has happened and you're consoling each other or… no you're not sad. You are…" Adelaide wasn't sure what to make of the scene her deductive reasoning lessons didn't cover ambiguous public displays of affection in the middle of the day.

"Happy" Helena finished the girl's sentence, "Sometimes tears do not imply sadness but occasionally joy. Sweet girl, come sit with us."

Adelaide joined her father and Helena at the bay window with hesitancy and excitement.

"Your father and I have been talking and after much of his absurd reasoning, I believe he's just won his first and last debate with me."

Adelaide face conveyed confusion but Nate's lit up as he realized what she was saying.

"Helena you don't mean…" Nate's arm fell slack and his jaw seemed to drop in the middle of his sentence, not believing what had just taken place. Noticing his inability to complete the thought, Helena pulled away from Nate's embrace and looked him squarely.

"Yes Nate, I will marry you." Adelaide squealed as she pounced on the pair now tightly embracing each other.

"We're going to be a family!" Adelaide yelled as she burrowed her way between the two and wrapped her arms around both of them. "We've always been a family," Nate replied "but now no storm, earth, wind, or fire will ever separate us."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Myka had been able to meet with the owner of the boarding school which the queen had once attended as a child which lead them on a treasure hunt throughout the city of London. Jinks held his tongue from making too many National Treasure jokes but couldn't hold his tongue when Myka had to invade Buckingham Palace pretending to be of noble birth.

Her time with Helena had left Myka with the ability to fake a decently believable English accent and Jinks had to take note of it, "I'd say your time with Ms. Wells taught you a few new tricks, your highness."Jinks winked and touched a hand to his ear as he pretended to be communicating with the noble's other bodyguards.

The two had managed to sneak past the palace security, find yet another treasure map, and on the track to finding the robber who was leaving royals encrusted in jewels. After having a close run in with the burglar at a ball, Myka and Jinks were hot on the trail of the artifact. Myka was running down a narrow alley in a full taffeta gown and heels after the disguised robber but it became very clear that he was not working alone when a small car came barreling down the alley at the two. The burglar leapt behind a dumpster allowing the car to speed past him with full access to the agent on his tail.

_Convenient, _Myka thought as she realized that the same opportunity would not be afforded to her as the headlights quickly approached her.

Jinks had managed to find his way to the top of the buildings and had been following the pursuit from above. Realizing that his partner was about the be run over by the speeding car, Jinks climbed out onto a connected structure between two of the buildings and aimed his gun at the front tires of the automobile.

Two shots were fired, each reaching the desired target but the car was still approaching Myka with great speed. His attempts to slow or even stop the car were futile and now he would be forced to watch the bloody taffeta mess that would soon come to be. Jinks closed his eyes bracing for the sound of the hood of car combining with Myka's gowned body but it never came.

Instead, the sound of a gunshot rang through the alley followed by a whirring sound. The connecting structure shook and there was a clanking sound not far from where Jinks' was laying.

Jinks' head shot up and his eyes focused on a hook wrapping around the structure, _What the hell?!, _Jinks thought as the hook found it place and another whirring sound began. Jinks glanced down into the alley to prepare himself for what was to come and instead his eye found a gasping Myka Bering, ball gown and all, quickly approaching him.

"A grappling hook?!" Jinks yelled as Myka shot up toward him.

"You laugh now but you'd be surprised how handy they are!" Myka laughed as she climbed upon the structure joining Jinks.

"Where were you even keeping that thing!" Jinks exclaimed and after a look at Myka's guilty face he decided he didn't care to know the answer.

"Ok never mind that question but who carries a grappling hook around with them, Myka?!" Jinks questioned with a smirk on his face.

Myka took to her feet with a smile and made her way to a neighboring rooftop, "The greatest minds you'll ever know."

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Nate had taken Helena to a jewelry store the next day and the pair picked out a modest diamond with a filigree band. Today the ring was ready to be picked up and Nate had a few surprises in store for his gorgeous fiancé.

"Nate it's really not that big of a deal, I don't see why I can't just wear this.", Helena called after her fiancé, Nate had suggested Helena change into something a little nicer for the trip to the store after noticing her loose flowing shirt and sweater.

"I just want to show off my brilliant, beautiful, and did I mention incredibly brilliant?... fiancé." Nate combatted as he buttoned up his shirt and began looking for a tie to match.

"I'm not convinced it's my brains you're wanting to show off, darling." Helena replied as she began skimming through her wardrobe.

Now that she was away from the warehouse, Helena was able to purchase less sensible articles that she could bring herself to purchase before. Her fingers skimmed across the hangers until she came across on that she did not recognize. Helena pulled the white lace dress from it hanger and allowed her eyes to examine it.

"Do you like it?" Nate asked as he wrapped his arms around the slender brunette's waist, "I picked it out just for you."

Helena looked the dress over once more, it wasn't really her style; lace was such an impractical textile and it reminded her of the dolls' gowns that Christina would play with. She turned to face Nate hoping to let him down easy but the pride in his eyes kept her saying anything at all.

It was a sweet gesture and he didn't mean any harm by it, "It's beautiful." She replied.

It wasn't a lie, the garmet was a work of art, just not her medium.

Nate and Helena walked into the busy jewelry store, other couples perusing their options blocked the counters and Helena began looking for someone to assist them. A man behind one of the counters noticed them and quickly approached the couple, "How can I be of service, Madame?" he asked Helena.

"I believe we are just here to pick up a ring, we placed the order last week." Helena replied her voice becoming louder as she fought to hear herself speak in the crowded store.

"Ah yes, I know just the one", the clerk disappeared into the backroom leaving the two waiting in the middle of all the hustle in bustle. Helena was clearly tense, her arms had been wrapped around herself since they walked in.

Nate wrapped an arm around her waist hoping to comfort her anxiety, "You didn't happen to bring your grappling hook with you?" Nate jokingly whispered to Helena.

She laughed at the thought and replied, "Unfortunately not, I believe I lent it to a dear friend. Should I wring her and ask for it back?" Helena jested. She could use a quick escape from this place.

"Then I'll just have to do." Nate replied as he took Helena's hand and led her to find the clerk in the backroom.

The backroom was quiet, a much needed relief from the busy store front but the clerk was nowhere to be found. A set of curtains blocked a doorway to the their right and Helena could hear hushed tones just beyond them.

"Perhaps he's back here…"Nate trailed off as he led Helena behind the curtain.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" the room full people yelled in unison.

"I knew you'd say no but you deserve to be celebrated" Nate whispered into her ear as he slipped the glittering stone onto her finger.

There was clapping and photos being taken before Helena could wrap her head around the scene. Following the applause, the sound of a champagne bottle being opened rang through the room and her hand was quickly filled with a glass. Nate began introducing Helena to his friends, family, coworkers, one by one. Each smiled at Helena complimented her ring and then complimented Nate on his taste for women and jewelry. Helena stood silently politely smiling as they shared words. There were too many names for Helena to remember and she was rather disappointed that they would meet her on such… uncomfortable terms. The thought was beautiful but Helena couldn't help feeling as though she had been ambushed. Feeling rather awkward, Helena drained the champagne flute and began searching the crowd for a familiar face.

Her eyes skimmed the see of faces, many had begun conversations of their own and Helena was happy to see that they were no longer the center of attention. Helena set down her empty glass on a waiter's tray as he passed by, but not before she skillfully commandeered a second. A foreign clank came from the glass and Helena eyes were drawn down to the diamond ring that had given her swift actions away.

Noticing the sound, Nate leaned in to Helena's ear, "You'll have to get used to that."

He squeezed her open hand and continued his conversation with a man Helena understood to be his boss. Helena lifted the flute to her lips but stopped before the liquid could make its way to her mouth.

"Myka?" Helena said softly as her eyes focused in on untamed brunette curls.

"What's that darling?" Nate asked noticing his distracted fiancé.

"Nothing at all, sweetheart. I think I'll go have a chat with friend I've just spotted."Helena replied as she slipped her hand out of Nate's grasp and began her trek across the room.

The flowing groups of people made her trip slightly more difficult than originally expected, at one point Myka has shifted out of sight and Helena had to search the room to find the unruly head of hair once again. Finally making her way behind the brunette, Helena searched for something to say, "Agent Bering, I thought we had agreed on coffee but I suppose champagne will…"

Before Helena could finish her address, the curly haired brunette spun on her heels to face her. A round face and confused blue eyes greeted Helena.

"You must be Helaina" the woman replied.

"Helena, it's nice to meet your acquaintance Miss…" Helena stumbled trying to hide her disappointment.

"Judith. Judith Mills, I taught the cooking class with you and Nate met in." Helena searched her mind for the woman in her memories but came up short. Nate was really the only person she really took note of during the class, she had never been much of a cook and didn't see that changing any time soon.

"Of course, Judy I'm so sorry. So many new people and here I am forgetting old friends!"

Helena mustered up a laugh and drained her champagne flute once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There is no way you knew the robber was the prince. No way." Myka said doubtfully as she looked over at Jinks in the passenger seat of the mini cooper.

Jinks was holding the silver bag containing the Queen's necklace with a smug look on his face, "I'd recognize that butt anywhere." Jinks jested. Myka's jaw dropped and she stifled a laugh. She could see why Claudia gave him such a hard time. It turned out that the prince was using the necklace to punish the men who were blackmailing him and his butler was assisting the prince. Once the artifact was bagged, the royals returned to their normal lives and pretended as if nothing had happened.

Myka was glad she wouldn't have to explain the situation to anyone, that often as the hardest part of the job. Feeling the relief of a job well done she turned to face Jinks, "Any last minute stop you want to make before we head back?"

Jinks thought for a moment and then a smile spread across his face. "Just one" he said "but I get to drive."

Myka hesitantly took her place in the passenger seat and attempted to keep her cool as Jinks adjusted to driving on the other side of the road. After a bit of drive, the mini cooper pulled up in front of a grand Victorian home.

"Nope. Not doing it. Not going in there." Myka instantly shouted.

She recognized the house from her first trip to London and would not be seen entering H.G. Wells' home today or ever again.

"I was right about the prince and now you have to do as I say." Jinks said mockingly. He had gotten rather good at these bets and wasn't too shy about collecting the profit.

"Seriously Jinks. Seriously. Out of all the places you could have chosen you pick THIS house?!" Myka was starting to come undone.

"Everyone else may think that you're ok but you're not Myka. I know it. Hello, human lie detector. You're hurting and you're doing it alone." Jinks began mad at first but his tone softens at the end.

Myka didn't know what to say, she wasn't prepared to have this conversation with anyone especially not Jinks. Slowly but surely her hand reached for the latch on the door and she stepped out into the cool London air.

Giving her some spaced seemed like a good idea. Jinks had pushed Myka and he wasn't exactly sure how she wouldn't handle it. He had lost sight of her once she climbed the stairs towards the house. Jinks looked up as he heard a tour group depart from the house. They were all talking amongst themselves. He had expected to see Myka trailing behind them but she was no where to be found. Thinking it was now or never, he stepped out of the car and headed towards the house. Jinks reached out and turned the doorknob but it did not yield to his force. Confused, he noticed a sign on the door stating that the last tour ended at five. Checking his watch he Jinks confirmed that it was in fact 5:13pm and that the house was officially locked down.

"I couldn't go in", a soft, defeated voice came from behind him. Myka had just emerged from the side of the house, her eyes red and her body wilted. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't…"her head dropped and her body began to shake.

Jinks looked at his partner, he wasn't sure what to do so he simply ushered Myka to the sit on the steps of the old house. Myka leaned into her empathetic partner, needing someone to draw strength from.

"Do you want to talk ab…" Jinks began not really sure the cliché line was fitting for the situation.

"Her perfume." Myka interrupted, "She was standing in the hallway holding a Tesla beneath Pete's chin and I could smell her perfume. It came at me and I couldn't escape it. I still can't." Her head fell into her hands and she ran her fingers through her wild curls.

"Myka, I don't think the smell of her perfume is still going to be in there." Jinks comforted her the best he knew how.

"I don't expect it to be, but that day. That day that she came barging in our lives, challenging what we knew about the world and about ourselves. That day changed everything." Myka began wiping away the tears that streaked across her face.

"You knew even back then, didn't you?" Jinks asked taking a chance

"You felt something for her." Myka sniffled and sat up straight on the step, "Yeah, well… it doesn't matter any more. She's happy. She has a family now." Myka said strongly, taking in a deep breath.

"I'm done being sad, Jinks. It has done nothing for me. I try and avoid her and she's all I think of. I try and keep her with me but I can't. I just can't anymore. I've been holding onto her for too long."

With each words Myka's conviction grows in strength, "I'm done feeling like this, I'm done torturing myself wondering why she didn't come back. She deserves to be happy, whatever that means for her but so do I."

Jinks sat quietly nodding his head in agreement. Myka didn't need to hear him speak, she needed to hear herself.

"I needed to come back here to say goodbye. I needed to be thankful for what she did for me and I needed for this to end where it started."

Myka stood up slowly, joined by Jinks. He looked at her and she nodded for him to go ahead back to the car. Slowly turning back towards the house Myka finally felt light as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She took one last glimpse at the home and found her peace, "Goodbye, Helena."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The light filtered in through the shades like it had every day for the past nine months she had lived there. Helena quietly slips out from under the heavy arm and wraps her robe around her. Turning on the kettle and retrieving the newspaper from the doorstep, Helena goes through her morning routine. Although she would always bring it inside, Helena had stopped reading the paper. Instead, she spent her mornings trying to decide on a type of ceremony to have. Helena wanted something intimate but Nate wanted Helena to have the whole experience. Although nearly a month had passed the two had still not set a date for their upcoming nuptials. Helena sat at the bay window watching the sunrise. A ray of sunlight hit her hand just right and a spectrum of light played across her face. Slipping the ring from her finger, Helena gazed into the beautiful stone. She had always seen diamonds as being such a complex stone, at first it appears to be reflecting light from a single spot but upon closer inspection, the diamond was reflecting off each of it's surfaces. In a way, she understood it. She was happy but it was more complex than that. There were all these things happening beneath the surface that she wasn't sure how to explain or what to call them. She loved her new family but… she felt a longing she had failed to shake.

Ever since that day at the jewelry store, Helena had been thinking about picking up the phone and calling Myka for that cup of coffee but there was always something to distract her from it; Adelaide would ask for a story or Nate would ask her about dinner. Helena always found something to keep her from calling. Helena wondered what she would even say, how do you explain to the family you left behind that you're happy but not? How do you tell them that you miss them but can't leave? How do you listen to the listen to the words but not the emotions behi…

"HELENA!" Nate yelled over the screeching of the kettle, he quickly turned the burner off and removed the kettle from the stove.

Helena snapped out of her thoughts and jumped to her feet, "are you ok? Is something wrong?"

Nate's hair was standing up and his clothes were disheveled. His face was filled with fear and concern as Helena met his worried eyes.

"I..uh…I'm so sorry, darling. Just a little out of it, I suppose. A cup of tea and I'll be ship shape."

Helena stumbled across the words as she took the kettle from his hands and filled her cup with the boiling water. Nate's eyes remained on her as she fixed her cup of tea and took her place at the window. He had noticed that his fiancé had become more distant as the days passed, her physical presence never changed but her mind seemed to wander more.

"Where were you just now?" Nate asked noticing Helena's eye beginning to glaze over once more.

"Myk…my team back at the warehouse" Helena quickly changed the course of her response.

"You miss them don't you? It's ok if you do. Why don't you take a weekend and go visit them. Share our exciting news with them." Nate said sportingly. Maybe all she needed as a getaway to spend time with her old friends.

"Oh that's not necessary" Helena quipped back "I'm just… in over my head with the wedding planning".

Helena pondered the thought of seeing the team again, it has been all too long and she missed the bickering at the breakfast table each morning. Perhaps a trip would do her some good but not the trip Nate had in mind.

After Nate had left with Adelaide, Helena called into work and requested the day off. Seeing as how "Emily Lake" was actually weeks ahead of schedule, the lab had no issues with her absence. Helena walked out to her workshop and released the padlock from the door. Nate had installed the lock after Adelaide had wondered in the small shack and was found playing with one of Helena's metal grinders. Placing the lock in the pocket of her jacket, Helena began sorting through cardboard boxes that she had brought with her when she left the warehouse. Her books, papers, and stable inventions were just as she had left them. At the opening of each box, the smell bed and breakfast came wafting out sending her on a trip down memory lane. Running her fingers over the edges of her books, Helena noticed the dozens of folded pages in each of her books. Myka would often borrow novels from her collection and would doggy ear parts of the book she had questions about. Helena could expect Myka to wonder in the room with one of her books and a curious smile across her face.

"What do I have the pleasure of explaining today?" Helena would greet her.

They would spend hours discussing plot twists, character development, and perfect cliffhangers. Sometimes Myka would agree with Helena's interpretations but other times she stood in stark contrast. Myka always saw the good in the characters whereas Helena could only humanity. On occasion there discussions would turn into debates leaving both the women breathless and exhausted. Each were too stubborn to completely fold although they did see merit in the other's argument.

She set the box of books aside and opened another. This one filled with newspaper wrapping. She grasped at the top mass and began unraveling a frame from its paper. It was a photo of Charles, his mustache being terribly pronounced as usual. She missed his smiling eyes; he would laugh to see her playing house in the middle of the United States. He had taken such good care of her and her daughter when they needed him. She sighed and traced the lines of his face wishing he could be here now. If anyone was going to give Helena away, Charles would jokingly throw her at the poor groom.

Helena set the photo aside with a laugh and began unwrapping the rest of the frames. She found a photo of Pete that he had given her as a joke for her birthday one year; he was shirtless and flexing on a beach. Helena pretended to be grateful for the gift but mostly admired it for capturing Pete's spirit perfectly. There were a few photos of her partners from Warehouse 12 in the box as well but the photograph that caught her attention was one of the team. Lena had been adamant that such a picture needed to be taken. Artie, Claudia, Jinks, Pete, Myka, and Helena were all standing in front of the breakfast table. Helena had attempted to step out of the photo only resorting in Myka pulling her back into frame.

Myka wrapped her arm around Helena's small waist and pulled her close, "You're a part of this team now so deal with it." She said through her smiling teeth. A smirk grew across Helena's face and a bright flash blinded them all.

Myka always seemed to notice when Helena would start to drift away and she always found a way to pull her back in. It was embarrassing really, Helena shook her head at all the things the pair had been through. She would have destroyed the world had it not been for curly haired agent and her overly confident attitude that she knew Helena better than she knew herself. The memory of holding a gun to Myka's head as her finger grasped the trigger still gave Helena sick to her stomach.

Searching for a more pleasant memory, Helena began sorting through a box of clothing and knick-knacks she had stored away. Not finding much of significance she dug to the bottom of the box and pulled out a brown leather jacket.

"Ah, that's where you'd been hiding" Helena said out loud as she pulled on the jacket. It was no secret that she has quite the collection of leather jackets but this one had gone missing during the move. Standing up and trying the jacket on, Helena tried to remember the last time she had worn the garment.

"It had to be… the day Artie diffused the bomb in the warehouse with Ghandi's dhoti."

Yet another time Helena had almost shot Myka, in her defense that was out of her control quite literally. It was also the day Myka had put Helena in her place.

"Get of your cross." Helena laughed.

That day turned everything around for them, Bering and Wells was back on track. Helena couldn't decide if Artie was too happy to have her stay, after she confronted him about using the astrolade to go back in time. Helena had certainly earned his respect by supposedly sacrificing herself for the team, a part of her wish she could remember what had happened. After putting their lives in danger many times before, Helena knew she would go to any length to protect the team. Artie didn't explain much; the threat of uncertain evil was too great a threat. After getting rid of the astrolade, Helena had decided to leave the past where it longed.

A knock on the workshop door startled Helena and she cautiously opened peeked through the crack in the frame.

"Nate?" Helena asked, uncertain why he would be home. Simultaneously throwing the jacket back into the boxes, Helena opened the door.

"I forgot to tell you that I would be working late tonight and Adelaide is spending the night with a friend so the house is all your this evening." He said as he leaned in and kissed Helena on the top of her head.

"Alright darling, do be good." Helena said with a smirk, "and let me know when to expect you, I'd hate for you to have a run-in with the pool boy."

"Nice try, Helena, we don't have a pool." Nate laughed as he walked around the house to his waiting car, it was nice to see his fiancé seeming more like herself.

Nate had been working longer shifts at work to save money for wedding. Although Helena appreciated his efforts to give her the fairy tale ceremony, what she really cared more for was their time together. With Nate gone so often, Helena was able to spend more time with Adelaide. They had made quite the team. Helena would wake up seeing that Nate had already left so she began sleeping in. This meant that she and Adelaide would sit at the bay window with cups of tea reading through bridal magazines and wedding announcements.

Once Helena left work for the day she would pick up Adelaide from school, deposit her back at the martial arts studio, and head home to start dinner for the two of them. Helena had been trying to expand her culinary skills and had sought out the recipes given to her in the cooking class. They would polish off the dishes and cuddle up on the couch watching the history channel before bed. Helena loved catching up on what she had missed and Adelaide found Helena's take on the events fascinating, she had been present for quite a few of them. Often Adelaide would fall asleep strewn across Helena's lap, she would sit and enjoy the closeness they shared. Christina would do the very same thing when they lived with Charles. The little girl would ask her mother to read her a story and they would lie on the chaise lounge and explore forests with dangerous beasts, castles with beautiful princesses, and laboratories with made scientists. Helena would pet the young girls hair and watch her chest rise and lower with each sweet breath.

_There is nothing more precious than the innocence of a child_, Helena thought as she ran her fingers through Adelaide's hair.

The pair had become inseparable which would make this evening especially interesting. The girls would be spending the night at the zoo and would not return until the following day. As Helena helped Adelaide carry her sleeping bag and pillow past the zoo gates she realized that for the first time in a long while she would be alone. Adelaide had offered to stay with Helena in case she became too lonely but Helena comforted the young girl saying that she was all grown up and could certainly spend a night by herself. With a kiss to Adelaide's forehead, Helena left.

The house seemed so much larger when it was empty. She decided that she would spend the evening indulging herself. She drew a bath and fished out a few candles from under the kitchen sink, placing them around the tub and lighting them Helena was actually quite excited to have a soak. After snatching a book from one of the shelves in the library, Helena settled herself into the hot water.

"Ahhhhhhhh" Helena breathed out a sigh of satisfaction.

She picked up the book from the floor and began flipping through the pages, _It's vane to read the books one has written, _Helena thought to herself, _but not when there isn't a soul to witness it! _She loved reading her old words, often she would stop to chuckle at her own wit.

"That's a good one there, H.G.", Helena would speak aloud when an incredible plot twist would take place.

After awhile her arms grew tired and cold and she set the book aside, removed the towel from behind her neck and allowed herself to sink down into the warm water. The sound of the water swooshed around her head and she quickly lost herself in the silence, taking deep breaths, Helena could feel her entire body relax with ease. Not a thought in her head, not a care in the world.

Slowly Helena found herself being pulled from her nirvana by the painstakingly high-pitched screech from a smoke detector. Lunging forward out of the now lukewarm water, Helena was instantly faced with a small wall of fire licking that the edge of the tub. It appeared as though a towel had fallen down onto the candle and her copy of _The Time Machine _was now roaring with flames.

_Well I suppose I had that one coming, _Helena thought to herself as she took in the growing flames.

With a pout to her lip, Helena slashed an arm into the water creating a miniature title wave to stifle the fire. The burn marks on the bathtub would be hard to explain but besides having to replace the floor mat, that's all damage the small fire had done.

"Well I thought I'd be alright." Helena said to herself as she remembered Adelaide's parting offer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Myka had become notably more chipper each day after she and Jinks returned from London. The team happily welcomed the change and thought it best not to ask too many questions. Pete and Myka were back to routine searching for artifacts night and day.

_It feels good to be back, _Myka thought to herself.

While hunting down an artifact that turned its victims into tacky lawn ornaments, the pair were playing the part of a newly wed couple who just happened to move in next door. Pete quickly realized that this neighborhood was not what they had expected. At a barbecue celebrating the new neighbors, Pete kept having funny feelings. After downing a beer and a hotdog or two, Pete shook them away and joined the rest of the husbands at the grill.

"It sure is great to have your join our humble brotherhood" said Jack Galligan, the head of the neighborhood watch program.

"Well uh.. it sure is nice for you to welcome me and my sweetheart with such a big party." Pete replied waving obnoxiously to Myka who had been swarmed by the wives sitting by the pool.

"You know Pete, the real party starts after sunset." Another neighbor replied.

"Ohhhhh you guys are the night owls, let me guess poker game? Cock fights? FIGHT CLUB?" Pete became so excited by the possibilities he almost didn't hear when one of the husbands commenting on Myka's "fine figure".

"Yeah she's fine alright… I mean when she's not nagging about the lawn. Know what I mean?" Pete said jokingly.

"I'd let her take a ride on my mower." Jack replied lowering his sunglasses to take a better look at Myka. "Uhhhhh… dude! I'm right here." Pete said playing the angry, jealous husband.

"Listen here, son. This block is like… a village. We support each other, we trade for what the other needs. We share what we have. You get what I'm saying here?" Jack said as he laid a heavy hand on Pete's shoulder.

"Uhhhhhh yeahhhhhh, totalllly. I get it. I get it! You uhhhhhh share." Pete said trying to play it cool but making awkward arm motions instead.

"You know if you men would excuse me, I'm just going to go have a word with the little miss and see if we can't come up with something to trade for your kind efforts." Pete said as he quickly left the circle of men and located Myka across the yard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"THEY ARE SWINGERS! They said they were like village and they share and..." Pete whispered loudly as he dragged Myka away from the group of women she had been sitting with.

"I know Pete." Myka interrupted before he went too far into detail.

"You what?! You know?" Pete turned on his heels and faced Myka abruptly, "You mean you're not weirded out by the fact that they trade spouses with each other?" thinking about the opportunity this left him with Pete quickly added "Yeah, me neither. Totally normal. You know Mykes if we're really going to fit in here I think we'd better swing with the best of them. How about Missy and her husband they seem nice!"

Myka rolled her eyes and punched Pete in the shoulder, "Get your mind out the bikinis, Pete. And they don't just trade spouses…"

Myka said smiling as she held up her arm covered in lipstick phone numbers.

"Oh…OH….MYKES! YOU NAUGHTY GIRL YOU!" Pete exclaimed putting two and two together.

"You know everyone else said that you and H.G. were just friends but I totally thought there was something going on there! I knew! That totally explains things! No wonder we never hooked up!" Pete rambled on as Myka's eyes narrowed and she wound her arm up for another punk to Pete's shoulder.

"Enough, Pete! You sound like an idiot. Now lets find the artifact before someone turns us into a pair of lawn gnomes." Myka said as she walked back toward wives sitting poolside with a wide grin on her face.

It took nearly a week undercover to learn that Missy was blackmailing Tracy's husband Jeff into getting rid of the members of the zoning board so that they could build the gazebo that would partially cross onto community property. Myka has actually enjoyed herself on this mission. The wives had all taken a liking to the fit, brilliant, and independent agent. Myka would receive calls from the other housewives asking her to tutor their children only to have her arrive and them conveniently missing. Pete quickly became jealous when he realized that Myka was getting all the action.

"So Mykes….you never did tell me how your 'tutoring' went." Pete said making his air quotes much more dramatic than necessary. They were driving back to warehouse and Myka realized that she had nowhere to run.

"Pete, it was nothing. We mostly went over their chemistry homework." Myka said hoping to bore Pete.

"Oooooh chemistry, huh? Yeah I bet there was Chemistry alright." Pete said raising his hand for a high five.

"Pete really, the kids were actually pretty smart. I was even trying to convince Ms. Jameson to enroll her son in the advanced program next year."

Myka could see the light at the end of this conversation.

"Jameson…Jameson…Jameson…" Pete mulled the name over in his mind but couldn't put a face to it.

"The single mom." Myka explained.

"Oh yeahhhhh the one across the street." Pete noted.

A long silence filled the car and Myka took a sigh of relief that they were done with the twenty questions. Myka closed her eyes and sunk back into the passenger seat. A little bit of shuteye on the drive back would be nice.

"She totally came onto me. Asked me to help her with the television IN HER BEDROOM." Pete bragged suggestively. Myka laughed and threw her arms over her face in exhaustion.

"Pete, not every woman invites you into her home because she wants to have sex with you. Sometimes people actually want you to help them mount a big, heavy flat screen."

"AH HA! I KNEW IT. YOU WERE IN HER BEDROOM!" Pete yelled with excitement.

"What?! No!" Myka shot up quickly, "You think everyone is sleeping with everyone else."

A huge smile spread across Pete's face, "Mykes, I never said it was a flat screen."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nate continued to work later shifts in the face of Helena's protesting but, tonight he promised to be home in time for dinner. Helena was overjoyed that it wouldn't just be the two of them again at a dining table for four. She could see that the young girl missed her father's presence even though she wouldn't come outright and say it. No, Adelaide was too sweet of a girl and would never want to hurt Helena's feelings. In his absence, Helena began to feel a longing growing inside her once more. She made attempts to satisfy her needs by visiting her boxes of old memories but they ceased to help. If anything, they were making things more difficult. The boxes overflowed with memories both remorseful and celebratory. They would awaken feelings she had long forgotten in her new life. She adored the life she and Adelaide had made together but something was missing.

It was like eating ice cream but failing to taste its sweetness. In the beginning when Nate would come home from a long day at work he would kiss Helena's forehead and climb into bed as quietly as possible only to be greeted by a very enthusiastic fiancé. She would have Nate tell her all about his day and the meetings he had attended. The actual series of events did not thrill her but his voice was warm and welcoming and would settle Helena into a sleepy existence. More recently Helena would take a book with her to bed and would long asleep before Nate entered their home.

Each night she would nearly finish the book but remain unfulfilled. On the weekends Nate would take the girls for an adventure, Adelaide would revel in her father's company. The two would go off on long hikes while Helena stayed behind and kept the ants from staging a takeover over their picnic. She loved to see them together smiling, laughing, and playing. Helena hoped that this evening's dinner bring them back to their previous glory.

After collecting her from school, Helena dropped Adelaide off for her Kenpo lesson.

"Remember that your father will be joining us the evening so don't dilly dally afterwards." Helena called after Adelaide as she ran into the studio.

Helena ran to the grocery to pick up the ingredients she would need for the lasagna.

"Well I do believe there is a first time for everything", Helena said to herself as she looked at the kitchen counter covered by ingredients and a cookbook she had found in the cupboard. Managing to combine each item into the baking pan, Helena patted herself on the back and set the timer. She had a few minutes to change before collecting Adelaide from her lesson and she planned to use each and everyone one of them. Choosing to wear a grey form-fitting silky dress and heels, Helena powered her nose as she checked on the lasagna in the oven.

"Perfect, perfect, perfect." Helena said marveling at the delicious meal she had prepared. The house was already beginning to smell of delicious garlic and tomatoes and it still had another thirty minutes to bake.

As she jumped into the car she dialed Nate's cellphone, "Hello darling…" Helena addressed Nate before he could even say hello, "I just wanted to call and let you know that we are all set for these evening's meal! Everything alright on your front?" Helena couldn't hide her eagerness.

"All is well, I'm headed to pick up Adelaide as we speak!" Nate replied seeming mildly distracted.

"Oh, I was just about to go fetch her but I suppose I'll stay settled then." Helena replied, this would give her an adequate amount of time to prepare the salad and uncork a bottle of wine.

Setting down her phone on the kitchen counter, Helena found her way garage where Nate had built her a large wine wrack after seeing how she could drink a bottle of red wine as if it water. Running her fingers along the dusty labels, Helena sought out the perfect bottle to accompany the meal. On the top of the wrack she found the bottle she and Nate purchased during their trip to Martha's Vineyard. Nate's sister watched Adelaide for the weekend while the two sought out some piece and quiet. They spend days walking through the vineyards and taking in each sunset, Helena wished she could go back there now. She slid the bottle from its place on the wrack and headed back into the kitchen.

As soon as her hand touched the door leading back into the house, Helena could sense something was not right. She opened the door and was instantly assaulted by a wall of smoke. Grasping at the walls for the button to the garage door, Helena began to choke on the smoke as it filled every inch of clean air. Finally finding the button, the door began to open and Helena took a large deep breathe of air ran into the house to search for the source. The smoke became darker as she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen. The oven door had flown open and large flames lapped over the stovetop and up to the ceiling.

Helena quickly kicked the oven door shut in hopes that it would suffocate the fire. The flames roared on inside the oven and threatened to send the door bursting open once more. Helena quickly searched about the smoke-filled kitchen for an extinguisher; unable to find one she began feeling light-headed from the smoke inhalation. Noticing her cell phone still lying on the counter, Helena made a last stitch effort and lunged for the phone as a small explosion erupted from the oven sending flames up her reaching arm. The last thing Helena remembered was holding down a button on the phone hoping to reach Nate before he and Adelaide returned.

"…approximately five foot seven inches tall, one hundred and fifteen pounds, black hair, fair skin…" Helena could hear a man's voice over some sort of radio.

She strained her eyes to see who it was only to be greeted with bright flashing lights, sirens, and radio noise. Helena reached a hand up to her face but it fell short of her mouth as something plastic blocked its path. Helena strained to sit up before the paramedic could notice her consciousness.

"Ma'am please lie down, you've been in a fire. Was there anyone else in the house with you?" The man's voice was strong and urgent.

Helena opened her mouth to speak but was overwhelmed by a fit of coughing, instead she shook her head no and waited for fresh air to fill her lungs once again.

Sitting up to catch her breath, Helena's eyes tried to focus on the scene in front of her. Their street was now lined with fire trucks and police cars. A barrier was being put up to block off the area from nosy neighbors. As Helena surveyed the street she saw Nate's car pull up behind the barrier and the man leapt from the car. Jumping over the police barrier Nate yelled Helena's name. Helena reached a hand out to him as the police attempted to stop him entering the scene.

"IT'S MY HOUSE! IT'S MY FIANCÉ! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO TO HER!", Nate was yelling and his face was distraught.

The police stepped aside and allowed him to go running to Helena's side.

"Helena! My god, Helena", Nate cried as he wrapped his arms around the frail woman.

"What happened?" Nate finally pulled out of the embrace to face the woman.

Helena raised an a hand to removed the oxygen mask from her face to answer him but Nate grabbed her wrist instead, "What happened to you, my god Helena. Your arms, it's been burnt." Helena felt fine, she would know if her arm had touched by the flames.

Looking down at her arm Helena found her skin to be badly disfigured, and a patch of her skin had clearly been ripped from her forearm.

"What happened to her?" Nate cried at the paramedic attending a chart.

"There appears to have been a fire, sir. A neighbor called it in when they noticed dark smoke coming from the garage. A volunteer firefighter found her unconscious on the kitchen floor. When he moved her, the fire had already badly burnt the tissue on her arm." The paramedic said anxiously.

"Jesus Helena, you could have died." Nate said grasping her head in his hands making direct eye contact with her, "What were you thinking?"

Helena took a moment to answer him her head till foggy from the smoke and her lungs heavy, "I tried, I tried to fix it but I couldn't."

Helena gasped for air between each word her eyes filling with tears, "I closed it off but it didn't stop. I tried to stop it, Nate. I tried."

Tears now fell from Helena's eyes onto her smoke covered cheeks. Nate's eyes moved rapidly from one eye to the next trying to understand what had happened when he realized that she wasn't just talking about the fire.

"I was trying to make it all perfect, I wanted you to have everything but I couldn't stop it in time."

Nate sat down on the stretcher next to his sobbing fiancé. He realized that this was it. This is what he had been avoiding for the last couple of weeks.

"Don't marry me, Nate. Please don't marry me." Helena finally found the words she had been unconsciously leading up to. She slipped the diamond ring from her finger and into his fallen hand.

"I tried Nate, I tried and I couldn't do enough." Her eyes searched for a response from the silent man.

Wrapping his fingers slowly around the small ring, Nate began to shake his head.

"You kept trying and I could see you struggling. It was in your eyes, it was in your smile… I had hoped it would pass. That you'd find your place with us." Nate's voice was low and full of emotion, "I shouldn't have let it go on for so long. I should have let you go sooner. Please don't marry me, Helena. You have to go."

Nate leaned in and kissed Helena on the forehead and then walked back to the car. Adelaide was pressed against the window on the passenger side, her eyes sad and longing.

Helena raised a frail hand to her lips and extended her arm out to the young girl as she was pushed back onto the stretcher and into the ambulance.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The team was sitting around the breakfast table arguing over who would be sent to Barcelona and who would stay behind and help Artie catch up on cataloguing the artifacts. Pete had just finished his best impersonation of a bullfighter as he waved a napkin in front of Jinks' face when Mrs. Frederick appeared behind him.

"As useful as I believe your napkin waving abilities to be, Agent Lattimer, your assistance is needed elsewhere." Myka, Claudia, and Jinks all looked to Artie but he looked just as surprised to see Mrs. Fredrick as they were.

"Mrs. Frederick, so nice to see you so early in the morning." Myka said trying to fill the silence that her appearance had caused.

"And good morning to you too, Agent Bering. I think you'll find a particular interest in this new case. I was contacted two days ago by former agent H.G. Wells. It appears as though someone has been interfering with her new civilian life. As the regents promised her protection in return for her service, we are assigning you two to get to the bottom of this." Mrs. Frederick's body language was stoic and cold. Myka could feel her heart pounding through her chest.

"Of course, Mrs. Fredrick. What's going on in suburbia now?! Did someone tag her mailbox? Did someone take her newspaper?" Pete joked thinking of what could possibly go wrong in Wisconsin.

"An attempt was made on her life and..." Mrs. Frederick continued informing the agents without giving any acknowledgement of Pete's jokes but she was cut short by a terrified Agent Bering.

"My god! Is she ok? What happened? Why didn't she call us?!" Myka's heart felt like it would explode, her breathing became shallow and her eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"No one was fatally injured in the attempt which only causes the Regents to believe another attempt will be made. I have already informed Agent Wells of your arrival." Mrs. Frederick finished her address as coldly as it began. Jinks turned to look at Myka, her face was filled with turmoil, her eyes red and watering but he could swear he noted a hint of a smile play across her mouth.

Pete noticed Myka's silence and got up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Alright Mykes, let's go save her."

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"THIS is where the father of science fiction chooses to live?!" Pete asked as he pulled the rental car into a sleazy looking motel parking lot.

"Pete, her house burned down. She didn't have a choice." Myka defended the poor woman.

"I mean I get that but you'd think that 147 years of home owner's insurance would get you somewhere a little bit nicer than a pay-by-the-hour." Pete looked over the sloppy motel with a curled lip. The two stepped out of the car and approached room #13.

"Do you think she did that on purpose?" Pete asked as he knocked on the door.

Myka noticed someone moved behind the curtains and she stepped back towards the car. If Helena's life really was in danger, who knows who could be out to get her. Slowly grabbing for her Tesla, Myka steadied herself as she heard the chain on the door move. Raising the weapon ahead of her, Myka took a careful step forward as the door swung open.

"Good afternoon, Agent Bering. Once again, it seems that we are destined to meet at gunpoint." Helena said confidently as she placed a finger on the end of the Tesla and lowered Myka's weapon, "Pete, good to see you too!"

Helena welcomed the two into the small room. The cheap furniture, hideous wallpaper, and questionable carpet were just as one would expect. Three cardboard boxes sat in the corner of the room, the only visible signs that someone was staying there. Pete quickly made himself comfortable by lying across one of the small beds, Myka remained standing by the door.

"So Helena would you like to explain what is going on here?!" Myka inquired with a bite in her tone.

Noticing the agent's edge, Helena licked her lips and crossed her arms, "A few days ago the oven in my home was sabotaged. I had stepped out of the house and into the garage to fetch a bottle of wine. When I stepped back inside the house the corridors were already filled with smoke. I investigated the origin and found that the oven had burst open in flames. I was able to close the door but it was only effective until the second explosion took place. That is all I can recall." Helena explained as she ran a hand over her covered arm.

"Well geez, H.G. I knew you were taking a cooking class but I didn't think you were that bad of a chef!" Pete said jokingly as he kicked off his shoes onto the floor.

"You mentioned two explosions, did they find any kind of accelerant or device that could have caused the fire?" Myka asked seriously placing her hands on her hips.

"No… they were not able to recover anything. The oven had completely melted by the time they were able to inspect the wreckage." Helena replied sitting down on the edge of the bedside of Pete, she ran her fingers through her hair, a tale tell sign that she wasn't doing well, Myka noted.

"Helena, we're going to find whoever did this." Myka replied in a softer tone, attempting to comfort the woman.

"But at what cost?" Helena asked as she looked Myka squarely in the eyes, "Nate and Adelaide could have been in the house when the explosions went off. They could have died because of me."

Helena stood and walked toward the bathroom, her back to both of the agents. She hadn't imagined this moment being so bittersweet. She had no idea what to expect from Myka after their last visit. The agent's wild curls stood in contrast to her more than professional approach. She needed someone to talk to, someone to understand how she was feeling. She felt herself drifting and she needed to be pulled back in. Nate and Adelaide could have been killed, must she always endanger the lives of the ones she loved? Helena's eyes began to water and a single tear escaped her eyelashes.

Myka looked up at just the right moment to see Helena wipe at her face from behind. She made a mental note to be less perturbed with the other woman.

The three agents spent the rest of the day going over the police report and compiled a list of people who may want Helena dead. The list was unfortunately long considering the decades of people who could be behind such an attempt. Artie had checked up on their progress throughout the day but grew irritated when they had yet to make any kind of headway in the case. Pete's stomach growled ferociously and he excused himself to go on a food run.

Once he left, the room was deadly quiet; neither woman seemed to be willing to be the first to break the silence. Myka had taken a seat in the chair by the window and Helena was once again perched at the end of the bed with her hands in her hair.

Taking a deep breath, Helena began, "Myka…" but she was cut short by Myka calling out her name,

"Helena, I…oh I'm sorry. Please go ahead." Myka backtracked. Myka's voice had startled Helena and she searched for the words once again, "Myka…uhh…. This has been a very complicated period in my life" Helena began finding direction.

"When are our lives not complicated?" Myka snapped.

"Point taken. Well you see when you last visited me at Nate's and you said that I wasn't being true to who I was…" Helena was trying to find an elegant way to say 'you told me so'.

"Helena, what happened in the past between us. It's in the past. We both said a lot of things we didn't mean. What's important now is your safety. But I have to know…. Why didn't you call us? You have no problem calling when a jawbone is reeking havoc on criminals but when someone tries to kill you, you're suddenly self sufficient?" Myka's temper was beginning to rear its ugly head.

"I wanted to call." Helena began.

"Then why didn't you! Do you have any idea what it's like to hear that someone you care about is in danger and they didn't think to call you first?" Myka's hands began to shake. The betrayal in her voice being the strongest message she was sending.

"Myka I couldn't call you because I was in the hospital. My phone had been destroyed in the fire and they wouldn't release me for 48 hours. I insisted that I would be alright on my own but they refused." Helena pleaded as she looked up to meet Myka's eyes which were now filled with concern.

"Are you ok? Why would they keep you so long?" Myka asked, searching the woman in front of her for signs of illness or injury.

"Smoke inhalation being one reason but I believe they were mostly concerned about this." Helena said she slowly pushed back the sleeve to her sweater to reveal white bandaging covering her entire forearm.

"My god, Helena what happened?" Mykas asked immediately moving beside Helena on the edge of the bed. Her eyes tried taking in the sight of an injured H.G. Wells but it was too painful and she dropped her head.

Noticing the other woman's reaction, Helena place a finger below Myka's jaw and drew her attention back to her face, "I'm fine, darling. I'm going to be just fine. Learned to preheat the oven next time." Helena jested with a smile, she noticed a lightness appear in Myka's eyes.

After a moment of shared silence, Myka got up from the bed and asked, "What about before?" she felt vulnerable and crossed her arms for security.

Helena felt the intimacy drain from the situation and back to work she went, "Before? There was one time when I was in the bath, I lit some candles and relaxed and..." Helena began to explain to her about the small fire that had occurred but stopped when she noticed Myka's eyebrows raise and her jaw drop, "What?" Helena asked almost disgustedly.

Noticing her own slack jaw, Myka quickly cleared her face and took a seat by the window, "Helena, I… I'm not saying that I haven't thought about it myself but you were with Nate and it didn't seem right…" Myka confessed feeling a huge burden lift from her shoulders.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Helena replied in utter confusion.

That wasn't the response she was expecting and quickly she repeated the conversation in her mind, "What were you talking about?!" Myka nearly screeched out of discomfort.

"A fire, Myka I was taking a bath and drifted off only to wake up to arson!" Helena finally finished her story.

"OH! Yes! Of course." Myka scrambled to save some part of her pride, "and did you find anything then? Anything unusual?"

"No, not in the least. I could hardly explain it to Nate let alone now." Helena replied as she threw her hands in the air out of exhaustion.

"So that makes two attempts then. Whoever this is, has been watching you. They know when you're vulnerable. You said you had to explain the fire to Nate, were you alone when it happened?" Myka asked feeling more confident.

"Yes I was, Nate was working late and Adelaide was at the zoo. It was the first night I had to myself in weeks." Helena replied noticing the pattern. "And when the oven exploded, Nate was picking Adelaide up from her Kenpo lesson."

"So when you're alone! That's good. Pete and I will stay with you until we can decide our next move." She said pulling her phone from her pocket.

"Pete, so far they've only made attempts when Helena was alone. We're going to need to stay with her until we can figure out who's behind this." Myka said as she paced the small room.

"Fine with me!" Pete yelled as he walked through the door, "there's a burger stand just down the road and I've got some unfinished business with a waitress name Melissa" Pete said as he dropped a bag of food onto the bed.

"Now that you're back, I'm going to let Artie know what's going on. Helena can catch you up on what we've found." Myka said as she headed out the door.

"Oh! Myka!" Helena called after her.

"Yes?" she said swinging her head back through the doorframe.

"I'm not saying I haven't thought about it either." Helena said as her mouth seemed to still itself and then freeze leaving lips parted and eyes merry but at the same time almost regretful.

Myka searched for a response but found nothing, not even a breath in her lungs without another word she left. Once outside she could slowly start to breathe again, she let Helena's words wash over her once more realizing what they had divulged. Myka opened the Farnsworth and waited for Artie to pick up.

"What's got you so happy?" Artie asked grumpily.

Myka hadn't even realized that she was smiling. Wiping the expression from her face she began to fill Artie in about the fire by the bathtub and the fact that Helena was always alone. Artie had thought it odd that the assailant was favoring fire as his weapon. He decided that the assassin was either a pyromaniac or someone had gotten his hands on some kind of combustive artifact. He told Myka he'd call if he found anything in the books but in the meantime to find out if any of Helena's old 'acquaintances' had certain affinity for the flame. Myka nodded and before she could agree to do so, Artie's face disappeared from the screen.

"Thanks Artie, I'll get right on that", Myka said with a bite and began walking back to the room.

"Myka! There you are! You missed hearing how H.G. beat Annie Oakley in a hand of poker!" Pete yelled as she walked through the door.

"Nearly took her for all she had!" Helena chuckled, they were both laying across the bed with their heads propped up on their hands looking like old friends catching up.

Myka raised her eyebrows in fake amusement and politely smiled, "Artie thinks that figuring out why they are using fire should be our main focus. He thinks the assassin is either well versed in pyrotechnic or has come across a fire starting artifact and is using it." Myka said taking her seat by the window. If she focused on finding the assassin she wouldn't be able to think about Helena or the comment she had made earlier. Right now the best thing she could do was save Helena so she could go back to her life with Nate and Adelaide.

Noticing Myka's determined tone, the two sat up and fixed their clothes to match the seriousness at hand.

"Well H.G. have you ticked off any pyromaniacs recently?" Pete asked semi-jokingly.

"Recently? Not that I am aware of! I process loads of evidence in my lab, however, perhaps I helped convict one?" Helena offered as she looked to Myka who was scribbling furiously on a notepad.

"What about before you were bronzed?" Myka asked without looking up from her pen and paper.

"At Warehouse 12 Wolcott and I dealt with a few fire artifacts but those were being kept in storage at Warehouse 13 last time I checked." Helena said with a shrug, she hated when Myka avoided her eyes.

"I'll have Artie check to see they are still there then." Myka replied as she reached for her Farnsworth.

"Myka, why don't I give ol' Artie a call and check up on the flammables. I think I left a box of pizza rolls in the freezer and I want to make sure Artie hasn't eaten them already." Pete said noticing the growing tension between the two.

Pete grabbed his jacket and headed outside with his Farnsworth in hand.

Helena realized what Pete was doing and shared a grateful nod with him before he disappeared out the door, "Do you plan to treat me like a stranger for the rest of your time here or do I get the pleasure of catching up with an old friend?" Helena asked as she moved to sit on the bed by the window.

Myka stiffly sat her pen down on the pad of paper and turned to face the other woman, "Unlike Pete, I'm more concerned with finding the person who's trying to kill you than I am sharing stories." Myka's words were filled with conviction and Helena was reminded of the respect she had for her.

"Very well, but one day you're going to grow tired of saving my life." Helena responded with a smile.

Myka's hard exterior broke down for a slight moment and she leaned into Helena and said with that same conviction, "Never."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Artie says that the 6 fire-capable artifacts that were found in Warehouse 12 are all accounted for…" Pete announced as she entered the motel room.

He hadn't thought to knock but now he wished he would have, Helena was sitting on the bed across from Myka. Her hand was resting on Myka's and the two appeared to be sharing a much-needed moment. Concerned about how it must look, Myka quickly sat back in her seat leaving Helena's hand to fall limply down.

A look of disappointment showed across Helena's face resulting in Pete apologizing, "Oh sorry, I just thought you might want to know what Artie had found, or not found… or found, I mean they were there. I mean it's not the artifacts." Pete stumbled along the last part not sure of himself anymore.

"Perfectly fine, Pete. Thank you for the update. Myka was just assuring me that I was in good hands. Figuratively speaking, of course." Helena joked, "Oh god, is that the time?" Helena gasped when she realized that it was nearly two in the morning.

Pete needed no convincing, "well I certainly could use some sleep. Beauty like this DOES happen over night." Pete grinned and turn towards the door.

"That's a good idea." Myka responded as she gathered her pen and paper and followed after Pete.

"Agents, aren't you forgetting something?" Helena called after the two.

Pete and Myka turned slightly to look around the room but found nothing. Their blank looks confirmed that Helena would have to spell it out for them.

"Fires do tend to start when I'm left alone…" she purposely didn't finish the thought.

Myka and Pete turned to look at each other and then to the extra bed in the room, they both remained silent.

"…so one of you might like to stay with me if you truly wish to avoid another barbecue." Helena said slightly irritated at the agent's lethargic response.

"If it's alright with you ladies, I'm going to sleep in the car. Myka snores and I could really use the rest." Pete joked as he patted Myka hard on the back and left before she could argue with him.

The door closed behind Pete and the two women stood staring at each other. Helena thought she saw a flicker of worry in Myka's eyes, "I suppose it's Wells and Bering once again" Helena said breaking the silence as she shifted her weight forward.

"Bering and Wells" Myka combated with a hint of a smile on her lips.

Myka excused herself from the room to retrieve her belongings from the car. Pete was already asleep in the drivers seat, she would decide how hard to punch him in the morning. When she returned to the room, Helena had moved into the bathroom to change leaving Myka the bedroom. Nervously Myka changed out of her clothes and into an oversized University of Colorado t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and her glasses. Worried that it may seem like she was waiting for the other woman, Myka took a book from the bottom of her bag and climbed into bed pretending to read. Her heart had nearly calm and her breathing nearly settled until the hinges on the bathroom door creaked announcing Helena's presence.

Helena couldn't help but smile at the scene playing out in front of her. She had been faced with 'Agent Bering' so much that day that it was almost humorous how human Myka now appeared.

Noticing the book, Helena saw her opportunity, "Good to see that one made it to print." Helena said nodding at the book in Myka's hands, "I had left stacks of manuscripts for Charles before I was bronzed. I had hoped they would obtain him some sort of financial security in my absence."

Myka hadn't even noticed which book she had picked up and quickly glanced at the pages in front of her for a clue. Recognizing the passages Myka replied, "It appears I forgot to take it out of my bag from my and Steve Jinks' last trip to London. He insisted on visiting your home and brought me back a souvenir. " Myka lied hoping to look less pathetic than she felt.

Helena took in the tattered binding, bent pages, and recognized the lie for what it was but left that secret to herself.

"Ah, Agent Jinks I believe I remember him from my run-in with a certain Janus coin." Helena offered, "I was told that Claudia managed to bring him back?" Helena asked, goading Myka into conversation.

"Yes she did, they've been inseparable ever since. I think it's good for Claudia to have someone, they are a good team." Myka replied, setting down the book on her lap and folding her hands on top of the pages.

"A good team, I've heard that before." Helena said sitting down on the edge of Myka's bed.

For the first time, Myka noticed Helena's silk camisole and matching shorts and her eyes stayed there a moment too long, "Yes, I believe you have. We once made a great team." Myka quickly replied allowing Helena this single opportunity to dwell on the past.

"Before…" Helena began to complete the thought.

"Before, things didn't work out for us." Myka finished.

Realizing that they wouldn't be expanding on that topic, Helena took a deep breath "Well it seems as though I have a knack for realizing things far too late." She stood and crossed to her own bed.

"I suppose you do but it seems as though everything has worked for you regardless." Myka responded thinking about Helena's home with Nate and Adelaide.

Helena just nodded her head and climbed beneath the covers, she was tempted to tell Myka about what had happened with Nate and wanted to explain how hard she tried to make it work but how miserably she had failed. She wanted to tell Myka how much she had missed her and how in just the last twenty-four hours she felt happier and more like herself than she had ever when she was with Nate. The more she thought about it, the more she could imagine Myka's cold eyes and distant reply. It appeared that friendship was the only hope of a relationship she could have with Myka, if that. She curled up in the bed and reached to turn off the light.

After lying in the darkness for what seemed like a century, Helena found the last bit of courage she had in her, "I want to be a good team again."

Silence hung in the air and Helena made no attempts to pry a response from Myka. This was exactly what Helena had been afraid of. She waited too long, she realized things too late, Myka had moved on with her life and this was the price Helena had to pay. Lying there feeling exposed, Helena allowed the harsh silence to claim her and she fell fast asleep.

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"_But you're…you're out there…" Myka noted, sadness filling her eyes. _

_"It had to be initiated from outside the barrier." Helena explained. _

_Myka's eye grew large with shock realizing that the woman had sacrificed herself for her. Helena looked on taking in every inch of the other woman's beauty. If anyone deserved to live, it was Myka; she had given so much to Helena. Myka had saved her life more times than she could count, she believed in her when no one else would, and now Helena had found a way to repay her. She opened her mouth to thank her but no sound left her body, her lips would have to carry the message. A smile interrupted the shock on Myka's face and Helena knew her message had been delivered. _

_Taking in her last breath of air, Helena could smell apples. A large explosion sent flames ripping through her, the sparks tore through her skin and the blaze destroyed her body, but Helena was still alive. The heat from the fire pulling her body higher and higher until…_

Helena lurched up in her bed gasping for air. It was hot, burning hot. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness of the room and flames consumed the walls and carpet surrounding her bed; they inched closer to her with each breath she took. Helena was growing rather irritated by constantly being surrounded by fires but she remembered she wasn't alone this evening. A horrified Helena looked beyond the growing flames, she could see Myka sleeping peacefully, the flames dared not touch her. This was personal, she realized, the fire wanted her and only her. Taking a standing position, Helena looked for a way out of her ring of fire but with each tried escape, the fire grew closer and with each attempted leap it grew hotter. Her body glistened in the heat, it was fighting but it had little left to offer. He lung had struggling to breathe in the hot air but smoke was now filling them. Her head swam, trying to focus on an escape but in the end knowing that the fire would take her. The lack of oxygen dropped Helena to her knees. She looked through the flames and smoke to Myka's sleeping form and said a silent goodbye; Myka shouldn't have to see this. She had tried to save her and for that, Helena was beyond thankful. At least she got to see the agent one last time. She closed her eyes and waited for the flames to take her, they attacked her knocking back against the bed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, HELENA?!" Myka yelled, she had woken up in time to see Helena's eyes close and her body about to give into the roaring blaze surrounding her.

Refusing to witness the surrender and defeat of such a strong woman, Myka threw a blanket over her body and made the jump onto Helena's bed, consequently knocking her over. Helena may be ready to give up, but she couldn't. Helena opened her eyes after feeling the weight of the other woman on top of her; she couldn't believe what she saw. Mykas eyes were wild, the veins in neck seemed as though they would burst, she grabbed the frail woman and began to devise a plan. The adrenaline coursing through Myka's body was evident to Helena as strong hands forced her up and onto her collapsing legs. The smoke didn't seem to be effecting Myka at all, Helena noticed as the room became hazy in her vision.

"Myka…" Helena began using up the last of the air in her lungs, "it's all right." Helena just got the words out before her eyes closed and her body fell limp against Myka.

"Losing you will never be all right." Myka said holding Helena in her arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Helena's eyes opened once more, the room was dark and quiet.

_If this is hell, they certainly over sold it, _Helena thought to herself.

She shifted her weight and strained her eyes to find depth in the room. The blinking of small lights led her eyes to find a form sitting beside of her.

"I take it you are the one, then?" Helena asked through a raspy voice, her mouth was dry from the smoke.

The figure did not move, it simply sat there staring at her.

"I will not be held against my will and not know my captors face." Helena boldly insisted. Still the form remained stoic. Helena moved her hands along the bed she had been placed in. Her hands finding something she could use to protect herself, Helena pounced. The brittle woman sprang from the bed striking the form across the face, the form jolted in surprise towards her. She had already managed her way behind it and quickly wrapped attached chord around the form's neck as she pulled tighter and tighter as a gurgle escape the form's mouth.

"Now tell me who you are and I will choose the least painful way to kill you." Helena whispered in the form's ear as she loosened the chord.

The form gasped for air and replied, "No killing, you know Myka would be super pissed."

Helena recognized the statement from before and released the man, "PETE?!" she asked surprised.

"Uh, hi there H.G. if you don't mind me asking, what do you think you're doing?" He said rubbing his throat and standing up from the chair. Helena felt foolish but only more so when Pete flipped the light switch revealing a pristine medical room.

"I uh…" Helena scrambled to explain herself but each clarification sounded worse than the last.

Pete laughed at Helena's speechlessness, "Thought I was some big bad guy waiting to kill you in some dirty warehouse?" Pete asked humoring himself.

"Sort of?" Helena replied embarrassed.

"Well you got on part right." Pete said as he raised his arms into the air, "Welcome back to Warehouse 13. Artie insisted that you be brought back after the whole 'Days Innferno'."

Helena looked about the room but failed to recognize it, "Days Inern…what? Oh my god, Myka!" Helena remembered her standing there in the fire with her.

"Myka is just fine, H.G. She was able to carry you out of the room and into safety without a singed hair on her head." Pete offered.

"That means it must be an artifact." Helena replied putting the pieces of her memory back together, "the fire didn't want her, it sought only me."

Pete nodded, "Yeah, Artie said he'd never heard of any artifact like that though….Oh by the way! I'm supposed to ask for Nate's contact information so that we can let him know that you are safe." He said pulling out his phone.

"That won't be necessary, Pete." Helena replied flatly.

"Of course it is, he's probably worried sick that you've become some kind of roast duck by now!"

Helena took a moment and found the words she needed, "It won't be necessary because Nate and I are no longer together. Informing him of my whereabouts would only be more of a burden upon him and his family." Helena had spoken into her lap but looked up to see Pete's reaction, his jaw had dropped and his eyebrows were raised so high they nearly met his hairline.

"Oh!" Pete managed to reply, he tapped the phone against the palm of his hand a few times and asked, "Does Myka know about this?"

Helena had known this question was coming and she was still unprepared to give an answer, "No… she does not. Myka expressed little interest in catching up. I hardly think she would enjoy hearing about my failed engagement." Helena offered, lifting her left hand in the air for Pete to notice a small pale band across her finger.

Pete smiled but realized it was an inappropriate response, "You never know, Myka is full of surprises these days." With that Pete excused himself from the room leaving Helena with her thoughts.

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"Is it true?! Is H.G. back?" Claudia exclaimed as she bounded down the stairs to the dinning room, her eyes skimmed the room but found no such person.

"H.G. is being seen to by Vanessa at the moment. They should be joining us any time now." Artie explained as he took a seat at the table.

Myka was already seated and was eating a bowl of cereal with more determination than necessary. Noticing her efforts Artie felt the need to interrupt, "Myka, I'm surprised that you're not more excited to have H.G. back at the Warehouse."

Their eyes met and Myka set her spoon down into the empty bowl, "I'm happy Helena's here. Claudia seems to have really missed her." Myka said finishing with a smile.

"Yes, Claudia does seem happy, doesn't she? I only hope she doesn't take this time for granted. Who knows the next time a literary genius will grace us with their presence." Jinks commented as he came walking down the stairs.

Myka's eyes flew to Jinks and without another word he walked into the kitchen to join Claudia.

"He's right you know, I should really ask H.G. about a few of the artifacts she bagged for Warehouse 12. I'm almost certain one of them is causing mischief in the Machine Age Sector." Artie added as he picked up the morning paper form the table.

_Is one of them a cross, _Myka thought to herself, _because I'm fairly certain she's still carrying that one around with her._


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Vanessa had finished her inspection of Helena, it was well past breakfast, "It appears as though you'll live another day, Agent Wells." Vanessa comforted Helena with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose I will." Helena replied as she stood up from the edge of the bed. Looking around the room, she couldn't very well join the team in a hospital gown.

"I'm sorry to say that most of your clothing was destroyed in the fire", Vanessa offered noticing Helena's concern, "Agent Bering was kind enough to lend you some, however, I believe you two are about the same size." Vanessa said as she handed a stack of folded clothing to the other woman.

Helena set the clothes on the bed as Vanessa excused herself from the room. Taking a pressed blue button-up from the top of the pile, Helena admired it. She was quite partial to the French Blue color and was flattered to see that Myka had noticed.

"H.G!" Claudia yelled as she ran towards and Vanessa had just barely crossed the hearth before the younger girl came barreling towards them with her arms open wide.

"Hello there, darling." Helena said with a kind smile as she wrapped her arms around Claudia.

"You've got to see what I've been working on with the Farnsworth, I'm so close to enabling visual voicemail!" Claudia was so excited to have the inventor back in the house, no one else shared her love of gadget like H.G. had.

"Careful Claudia." Vanessa instructed, "She may look fine but Helena still has quite a bit of a recovery ahead of her. Contrary to the circus, lungs were not meant for breathe fire."

Claudia eased her grip on the woman and slowly backed away to stand beside Steve, a guilty expression filling her face.

"Agent Jinks, I recall." Helena addressed the man rather formally.

"H.G. Wells…" Jinks replied slightly bowing his head, "I uh… I was under cover. The Regents thought it was our best chance." Jinks hurriedly added.

"No explanation, necessary. I'm well aware of the Regents' blind tactics." Helena shared a kind smile with the man. A clearing of the throat brought her attention away from the pair straight to Artie.

"Hello, Artie." She said with a coy smile. After confronting him about the Astrolade, the two had had a rather interesting relationship.

"H.G." Artie replied slightly raising his hand to wave, "We've arranged for you to stay in your old room. Pete and Myka just took your boxes upstairs."

Helena nodded her head, "Thank you, that would be lovely." She said smiling at the pair as they made their way down the steps. Myka looked up from her feet to see Helena standing there in her shirt and pants.

_Of course she has to look better in them than me, _Myka thought not nearly as upset as she wished she were.

As she made her way bottom of the stairs, she and Helena shared a long glance, "Thank you for the clothing, Myka. I promise to return after this is all done." Helena said running her hands over her torso. Myka's eyes fell to the other woman's forearm, Helena had rolled up the sleeves on the shirt which left her bandages exposed. Myka's eyebrows furrowed with concern and her mouth fell open. Following the woman's, Helena tugged the rolled sleeve lower to partially cover the white gauze.

"Enough standing around, Pete and Myka I want you to comb through Helena's belonging. The way the fire responded to Myka means it is most definitely caused by an artifact. It's possible someone has slipped something into one of the boxes and she has been carting around her own death sentence. Claudia and Steve, I want you two to look for an artifact to counteract the fire when it strikes again. Helena you're with me." Artie barked and the team scrambled in different directions. Helena took a deep breath and followed Artie to the warehouse. Whatever was in store, Helena knew she wasn't going to like it.

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Once back in the office, Artie sat down his chair and turned to face Helena.

"This artifact is deeply connected to you and I think we both realize it. The fire starting when Myka with you is proof that it had nothing to do with you being alone. So to get to the bottom of this we're going to use extreme measures." Artie stood and made his way across the office to a filing cabinet. Pulling out what appeared to be a shoebox, he stood in front of Helena, "Have a seat, H.G. you're going to want it."

Helena took a seat in an older chair against the wall.

"At age nineteen, Debbie Reynold accepted a role in the movie Singin' in the Rain. Not being a dancer, she was unprepared for the nineteen hour days of rehearsals and grand musical numbers…" Artie began to explain.

"Artie, this is hardly the time for a musical number." Helena interrupted him.

Artie was not pleased and continued his explanation, "after a week on set, Debbie Reynolds couldn't stand let alone dance. The following week, however, she was back on her feet dancing night and day alongside some of the greatest dancers. Do you know how?" Artie asked knowingly.

Helena shook her head admitting that she had spoken too soon.

"These shoes allowed her to relocated her feelings to whomever she chose. The man rumored to be her ex-boyfriend spent months laid up in the hospital with unexplained bleeding feet and sprained ankles."

Helena smiled, it seemed as though she would have liked this Debbie Reynolds.

"You want me to use the shoes to…"

"To explore your feelings" Artie finished her sentence handing her the pair of shoes.

"Oh dear…" Helena said begrudgingly taking the shoes from him.

"Hey, I'm not any happier about this than you are! Don't think for a second I want to sit down and talk about your feelings let alone feel them." Artie grumbled as she sat back down into his chair.

"Alright then let's get this over with. What do I do?" Helena asked looking over the small shoes; they weren't going to fit on her feet.

"You don't have to wear them for something like this, just hold the shoes and look me in the eyes, ok, now tell me about the first fire." Artie said leaning forward towards the woman."OH! And seeing how the shoes work, I think it would be best to stop the story once the fire starts. I have no desire to share matching burns."

Helena nodded understandingly and ran her fingers softly across her bandaged arm.

Looking into Artie's eyes she thought back to the bathtub, "I had the house to myself. Nate was working late and Adelaide was spending the night with a friend. It was the first night in a long while since I had the house to myself. I thought I'd pamper myself. I grabbed some candles and a book and settled in. I read for a while but the warm water coaxing my eyes shut. I set the book on the floor and sunk down into the tub. I must have drifted off because I was awoken by the smoke detector on the wall." She explained, not breaking eye contact.

Artie nodded slightly,"and the second one?"

Helena breathed deeply, the second had to be the worst. Not only for the damage it caused but also because of the realization it brought.

"I was home preparing dinner for Nate and Adelaide, lasagna to be exact. I looked the recipe up in a book and was quite proud of myself for putting it all together. It was the first night that Nate would be home for dinner…" Helena began describing the evening but stopped abruptly, her own words felt foreign in her mouth, and her voice was void of emotion. "Helena, I need you to tell me everything. Holding back even the slightest detail could make our efforts completely worthless. Helena thought about the words to use to explain the situation, for once she felt nothing, "we were growing apart or at least it felt like it. In pictures, we looked perfectly happy but,… something as missing. I was…so close to happiness but I couldn't feel it. I thought that having dinner together would pull us back to each other. I thought all I needed to do was to try harder. I called Nate to see where he was and he said that he would be picking up Adelaide and would be home soon. I wanted everything to be perfect. I went to the garage to pick out a bottle of wine to drink with the meal. There was a bottle from a trip we took and I wished so badly to feel how I felt then. I picked up the bottle and went to take it to the kitchen. That's when I opened the door and realized there was a fire."

Helena noticed Artie's eyes begin to fill with tears, his eyelashes batting them away.

"These are your feelings, Helena! Don't look at me that way!" Artie sobbed, the tears fell from his eyes and he wiped them away furiously. "Don't stop now, I will not be doing this again." Artie barked at her.

In any other situation, Helena would have been startled by his abruptness but now, looking into his eyes she saw herself. She saw the emptiness that she felt but couldn't explain.

"Hang in there darling, you won't feel like that forever." Helena said looking Artie in the eyes.

Her tone was soft almost maternal, Artie knew that she was not speaking to him but to the broken reflection of herself.

In a soft and caring voice most foreign to him, Artie prodded her to continue, "Now tell me about the last fire…"

Helena took a deep breath and tried to decide where to start, "Pete had left Myka and I to get ready for bed. I was sitting on the edge of her bed, trying to get her to talk to me. Myka's responses were cold and distant as if I were a stranger. She said that Claudia and Agent Jinks made a good team; I remembered her saying the very same things about us once, as did she. I made a remark about always realizing things too late and she agreed. She said that it looked as if I was better off because of it and… I couldn't disagree. It DID look like that but that's because she didn't know how unhappy I really was because of my own idiocy." Without her emotions holding her back, Helena confidently almost objectively, "I thought to tell her, I wanted to tell her. I lay in bed searching for a way to speak to her but I couldn't say all that I had wanted to. Instead, I told her that I wanted to be a good team again. She didn't reply… either she had fallen asleep or she didn't care to respond. Whichever the circumstance, there was silence and I fell asleep."

"I'm sure she just fell asleep, H.G." Artie said before his mind could register his own words. His eyes were red and he began to sniffle, "Now H.G. I don't know what's going to happen when you let go of the shoes…" He explained trying to prepare her for the unknown. He held out his arms in front of him and waited for her to deposit the shoes into his hands.

Feeling in her gut that this was not going to pleasant, Helena took a long and deep breath and let go.

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"Ok, now if I remember correctly it should be somewhere in this aisle…" Claudia said pushing a purple, dripping shopping cart through the warehouse.

"You look ridiculous." Jinks said taking in the obscurity of it all.

"Can you think of any other way to carry a bunch of artifacts without being whammied or having them team up on us!?" Claudia asked as she continued her search down the never-ending aisles.

"Didn't think so!" She said as she stopped in front a shelf holding a fan, "Here it is!" Claudia rolled onto her tiptoes and took the fan from the shelf and placed it into the cart.

"Claude, I appreciate the practicality for once but don't you think we can do a little better than supply a fire with more oxygen?" Jinks asked flicking the fan.

"This fan went into space with a Soviet Union spaceship and returned alone." Claudia said crossing her arms at his challenge, "It sucks all the oxygen out of the room it is in."

Jinks took a notable step away from the fan and followed Claudia down the next aisle.

"Don't you think it's kinda nice to have H.G. back?" Claudia asked looking over each shelf she passed.

"Yeah, I suppose so! I mean I never really worked with her but Myka seems happy." Jinks replied reading the descriptions to the artifacts to his right.

"What was that?" Claudia asked spinning on her feels causing Jinks to run over her.

"What?" Jinks asked realizing he may have said too much already.

"You said that Myka seemed happy. What's that supposed to mean?" Claudia asked stepping into Jinks' personal space.

"Just that she's probably glad to have her old partner in crime back! Jesus Claude!" Jinks' replied in defense, "She's been through a lot this year, I'm just glad to see she's acting more like herself these days." Jinks offered.

Claudia shrugged and turned back to the cart with a smile on her face, "Yeah, you're right. When Myka confessed she had feelings for H.G., I wasn't too sure about it but I think they are better off together." Claudia said nonchalantly as she gathered the next artifact on her list.

"WAIT! She told you?" Jinks' asked jumping in front of the cart.

"NOPE! But you just did!" Claudia yelled pointing a finger in his face.

"Claude! That was dirty. You can't let Myka know I told you, she'll kill me." Jinks begged with a uncharacteristically flamboyant puppy dog face.

"Oh put the gay face away, talk about playing dirty. I won't say anything. I totally called that though. " Claudia said pushing the cart into the Yukon Sector.

The cart was nearly overflowing with various artifacts and Claudia was spraying them down with a spray bottle full of goo, "Do you think H.G. would leave Wisconsin is she found out?" she asked honestly.

Steve thought for a moment, "I don't really know her all that well. I don't know if that would be enough. Myka seemed to get the closure she needed on our last trip to London. It may be too late." Jinks said shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah but the way they look at each other…" Claudia began, she had noticed how pained Myka's face looked when she saw H.G.'s arm, "I think there's still something there! If Mr. Single Dad wasn't in the picture they could totally make it work." Claudia said checking off the last artifact on list.

"You just want her to stay around to help your upgrade the Farnsworth!" Jinks said seeing Claudia's true motives.

"Ok, maybe, but you can't tell me it wouldn't be nice if we could at least have different ringtones. That way we'd have a warning when Artie was calling to check up on us!"

Jinks laughed, he didn't disagree it would be nice.

"We'd better get these to H.G. and Artie before the next bonfire starts." Claudia said gesturing the dripping cart of artifacts. Jinks' nodded in agreement and plugged his nose as he followed the younger girl back to the office.

"You'd think that after all this time, the warehouse would have found a better smelling goo!" Jinks joked through a nasal voice.

Claudia and turned to look at him and laughed, "You can be such a queen sometimes!".

CHAPTER NINE WILL BE UP MONDAY! Enjoy tomorrow:)-OhMyPosh


	9. Chapter 9

"Don't you feel like it's weird going through H.G.'s stuff?" Pete asked as he pushed the door to her room open.

"Pete what are you talking about?" Myka asked walking straight for the cardboard boxes.

"I mean like… it's H.G. what if she booby traps her belongings or… what if she has like personal stuff in there… you know like PERSONAL stuff." Pete explained as he raised his shoulders so high that his neck seemed to disappear into his collarbones.

"Pete you're being ridiculous!" Myka said taking the lid off one of the boxes, "She's H.G. Wells, not your mother. You're going to be fine."

"What do you think she keeps in these things?" Pete asked stepping closer to the open box and craning his neck to see inside, "Her old inventions? Plans to take over the world? A diary of her romantic partners and a detailed report of their 'encounters'?"

"Pete I'm it's just…" Myka replied as she uncovered the first item, "they're… they're memories?" Myka said meaning to answer Pete's question but rather sounding confused herself.

"You so sure about that, Mykes?" Pete asked noticing her tone.

"Yeah… look… it's us." Myka said holding up the photo frame for Pete to see.

"Oh… Leena took that one." Pete offered with a smile on his face.

"It was our first breakfast all together as a team." Myka said fondly, "I didn't expect…" Myka's voice trailed off as she placed onto the desk beside of the boxes.

"You didn't think we'd be in here, did you?" Pete asked pulling out the chair and sitting over one of the closed boxes.

"No it's just…" Myka began to explain but stopped when she realized she had no idea what to expect.

"You know for someone who's been on Team Wells all this time, you sure do have your doubts about her." He said sitting back in the chair as he crossed his arms.

Myka's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean, Pete?" her voice portraying pain and misunderstanding.

"Say these were my things, or Claudia's, or Jinks'… you would never be as surprised to find a photo of us in our boxes. But for someone reason it surprises you that H.G. even cared to keep us in her box. Why?"

For the first time in weeks, Pete's voice to her was somber. Myka took a moment before she answered and took a seat on the bed in the middle of the room; she looked around as if searching for an answer to be written on one of the walls.

Myka's eyes settled on the window where a bird was perch on the sill, "It never felt like she was really here. After she left, I had to remind myself that she had been here. That we had worked together. That she was a part of the team. She left and took every bit of herself with her." Myka watched as the bird flew from the windowsill and into a nearby tree where it found its nest.

"When you love something, you leave bits of yourself with it. Helena had no problem turning her back on the warehouse and never looked back. How could I expect someone capable of that to…to care?" Myka finished as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Oh…" Pete replied, "well… maybe… maybe she does care, maybe she just doesn't show it like everyone else?" Pete offered, uncertain of his own words.

"Maybe", Myka said as she shrugged and moved towards the open box once again. She sorted through pictures of Charles, first editions of some of the most famous works in literature, and then a locket with a picture of Christina.

"Ok, like this…"Myka interrupted the silence, "Helena loves this locket, probably more than anything else. It's the last photo she had of her daughter and here it is in a box. A cardboard box." Myka said showing Pete the locket.

Pete could see that she was clearly upset and wasn't going to be moving on anytime soon.

"In college I wanted to join this frat so bad." Pete began to explain, "They gave all the pledges a treasure map to find the location of one of the most prestigious parties of the year. Everyone who was going was sworn to secrecy, no one could know it's location unless they were told by the brotherhood. I spent all day trying to figure it out. I studied that map harder than I have ever studied for anything in my entire life. I figured out that it was happening somewhere in the library but the problem was, the library had four floors, two wings, and a basement. There was no way that I could search every inch of the library and be able to make it to the party. Well, I didn't know that then at least. I spent hours and I mean HOURS walking through every hallway, lobby, study room, everywhere to find that party but I never found it." Pete's voice was low and full of defeat.

Myka thought to laugh at how trivial the whole thing was but thought it distasteful in the moment. "So what happened?" Myka asked deciding that she would be told if she cared or not.

"I left the library at four in the morning, exhausted, defeated, and disappointed in myself. And when I walked out those doors and across the quad, I looked back when I heard some people yelling. The party had been on the roof the entire time." Pete finished sitting back in his chair with a 'wise' smile across his face.

"Please tell me there is a reason I sat through a story about the party that got away." Myka said annoyed that she fell prey to one of Pete's idiotic tales.

"Mykes, I was too close to see it. You are too close to see it."

Surprised that Pete had actually managed to make sense, she quietly sat herself on the floor in front of the boxes and continued to search for anything that could be an artifact. Thinking that all of Helena's things were old enough to be an artifact, Pete tried bagging each and every item in the box. Myka laughed at Pete's approach and began slipping questionable items into the bags as well.

After bagging half of her box Myka stopped and turned to Pete, "Maybe you're right…" she began.

A large grin grew on Pete's face and he replied,"Excuse me? Did you say something?"

"Maybe you're right." She said appeasing his childish ways.

"One more time with feeling!" Pete said taking this moment for all it was worth.

"PETE!" Myka yelled ending her streak of kindness, "Maybe I am too close. I've been thinking about it and… Helena's had a hard life. First losing her daughter, then losing her partner, and in the end nearly losing her mind. Helena's had a lot of pain in her life and… if I were her, I'd want to distance myself from a lifetime of sadness as well… I don't think I could wear a picture of my own child around my neck everyday and try to love another man's daughter just as much. I don't think I could look at pictures of my siblings and be happy knowing that I couldn't see them again. I thought she didn't care about us but maybe she cared too much and it got in the way of her happiness." Myka's posture had fallen and tears were falling onto the old newspaper wrappings in the box in front of her.

"Mykes, you're too close." Pete said, repeating himself.

"I know! I know I am! I know I was too wrapped up in my own life that I couldn't see how miserable we were making her! I was too blinded by my own sadness that I couldn't see how she was doing the only thing that could help her find happiness. I know, Pete, I know!" Myka was nearly wailing and her tears fell quicker and harder onto the items in the box.

"No Mykes, I mean you're too close. You're getting her stuff wet and… Pete said as he stood over Myka's broken form, he pulled out a light brown leather jacket from the box, "water ruins leather."

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Like a large tidal wave, the emotions came breaking through her defenseless figure. All at once the she remembered the goodbyes, the pleading, the laughs, the tears, the agony, the emptiness, the fear, and the hopelessness. Gasping for breathe, Helena bent over and placed her head between her knees. Her body shook uncontrollably and tears fell from her face and peppered the ground at her feet. Helena's head was spinning, her heart pounded through her chest, and her lungs struggled to keep air in her breaking body.

"Make it stop, Artie, PLEASE make it stop!" Helena cried out between desperate gulps of breath.

"I can't Helena, there is nothing I can do!" A tinge of worry filled his voice as he watched the woman collapse onto the floor fighting for air, fighting for stability, and fighting for her life.

"I can't, I can't do this. I can't handle this. Please make it stop." Helena's cries grew in agony what once sounded like a plea for help had turned into a sorrowful weep.

"All actions have their consequences, Helena, you have to come to terms with your feelings. You can't let them control you. You have to get a grip on yourself!" Artie yelled kneeling beside of the convulsing woman on the floor.

"I know you feel broken, I know you don't think that these feelings are every going to pass but they have! You're experiencing your old emotions, they passed, and you made it through them. You can do the same now!" Artie said laying a hand on Helena's shoulder.

"Oh help me, THIS IS NOT A HUG." Artie yelled as he pulled Helena into his arms and held her tightly against him, "now breathe." Helena's shaking began to subside and her head had started to clear. "Breathe." Artie said once more squeezing Helena's fragile body in his arms, "Just breathe."

Helena's heart slowed and her lungs no longer had to struggle for oxygen. "Artie, how did you do that?!" Helena asked, amazed that he had been able to pull her out of an artifact induced emotional seizure.

"They squeeze cows before they are sent to slaughter. It calms their nerves." Artie said matter-of-factly as he pushed himself of the office floor.

"Oh…." Helena replied feeling less cared for than before, "well then, that's that." Collecting herself from the floor, Helena stood and dusted off her shirt and pants. "Artie, you really should dust more, your floors are filthy." Helena said looking down at her dirt-covered palms.

"Abigail isn't exactly the cleaning woman that Leena was." Artied explained "Besides, I usually don't have sobbing English inventors collapsing in my office."

Helena was not pleased that Artie had seen her in such a broken state. "Now Artie, I hardly think it's necessary to jest about something like that at a time like this." Helena said trying to redeem the parts of her pride she had left on the floor.

"Perhaps you're right. Alright, it appeared to me that you were feeling… desperate and…. Vulnerable before the fires started. In the bath you were physically vulnerable but emotionally desperate for peace, the dinner well… that's obvious, and then with yours and Myka's partnership… again desperate and vulnerable." Artied explained as he grabbed a marker and began to write on the white board in his office.

"I resent your use of the word 'desperate' in terms of my relations to anyone." Helena said almost pouting.

"Resent all you want, my dear Agent Wells, your feelings do not lie." Artie said finishing off a the 'e' in desperate on the board. "Hmmmm… something isn't right." Artie mumbled to himself as he began pacing.

"What is it Artie? What's wrong?" Helena asked she he followed the man with her eyes as he paced up and down the office.

"If vulnerability and desperation cause the fires then where's the fire?" Artie asked looking straight at Helena, "You should be surrounded by flames after that fit you just experienced." Artie explained.

Just then an alarm on the computer went off and Artie quickly addressed the intrusion.

"I think I just found it." Artie said as he pointed to the words "Heat Warning" on the screen. "Your fire is somewhere in the warehouse."

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"The Ovoid Quarantine? Why one Earth would the fire be in a tent?" Helena asked after Artie had found its exact location.

"I assume because the warehouse itself is too large to encase in fire…or because it wasn't taken camping when it was younger. I DON'T KNOW DO I LOOK LIKE SOME KIND OF FIRE WHISPERER?!" Artie yelled heading to the periscope to further investigate. As he put his eye against the lens, he could see Claudia and Steve making their way back to the office with that look like a shopping cart.

"Come along H.G. we have help Claudia and Steve put out the fire before it comes into contact with any of the other artifacts. Who knows what could happen if a wild fire started roaming through the aisles." With that Artie grabbed his bag and headed down the stairs towards the others.

"Alright Ms. Wells, you can borrow a cup of flour but I insist on getting a sneak peak of the new recipe you're working on!" Claudia said in the best housewife voice she could conjure up as she pushed the grocery cart towards her.

"Claudia, this is no time for games. H.G. has triggered a fire in quarantine tent. We need to get over there before the whole warehouse burns down!" Artie growled as he swung the cart in the opposite direction and began charging towards the fire.

"Why couldn't be have gotten Segway's?" Jinks pouted as the burn in his legs became unavoidably noticeable. Helena and Claudia both turned to give him an objectionable look, "Don't say it. That time I heard it myself." Jinks added.

The team arrived at the tent only to find that fire contained and seemingly harmless at the moment.

"What now? Do we drag out the marshmallows and tell ghost stories?" Claudia joked as she elbowed Jinks in the ribs.

Steve playfully raised his eyebrows and licked his lips, "I'm down" he joked in return.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the slumber party, ladies, but I think the fire is starting to break through the tent." Artie said drawing their attention to the top of the tent where smoke had appeared.

"Another time then." Claudia said as she leapt to the cart to present the others with the options available to them.

"Alright, so fan that sucks oxygen out of the world, not a good idea." Claudia said taking deep breaths and placing the fan back into the empty cart. The others were still recovering from their close dance with asphyxiation. "So what next? The buoy from the only boat to survive a tsunami or…" Claudia said observing the artifacts covering the floor.

"Just give us a moment to regroup." Artie said coughing and wheezing, "there has to be away to stop this artifact without killing ourselves with another."

"Artie, the Ovoid Quarantine… what do we know about it?" Helena asked as she stood to her feet.

"The quarantine is a glorified holding tank for incoming artifacts The tent is laced with neutralizer making it one of the safest places in the warehouse…oh no. Oh no. Oh no. no. no." Artie began to trail off into a stream or worry.

"What is it Artie?" Claudia asked noticing the obvious change in his tone.

"Helena, this is where it happened. This is it. We stood inside that tent with Syke's bomb trying to defuse it when…" Artie hurriedly explained.

"When I found anomaly and refocused the barrier." Helena said finishing his thought. "Do you think this has anything to do with the…" Helena asked uncertain.

"THE ASTROLADE?"Claudia exclaimed interrupting the two, "You mean the artifact that decimated the warehouse AND HG &amp; Mrs. Frederick?! Are you kidding me! I thought we were done with that."

"I don't know. If someone got their hands on it, the entire thing could be reversed." Artie began to explain, " But the fire. If someone wanted to put back time, they would have already done it. No, this has to be something else." Artie said scratching his head.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Pete you are the most irritating person I have ever met", Myka said as she wiped the tears from her face as she attempted to regain control of herself.

"That's because you haven't met my cousin Freddie. That guy, that guy is the worst. One minute you're talking about getting a promotion at work and the next he's showing you his mint collection of figurines and won't even let you touch them" Pete said as he folded the leather jacket and threw it onto the bed.

"Pete, really…" Myka said turning to glare at him.

"Really, Mykes. It's the worst. He's all 'You'll break Spok'…" Pete rambled.

"No, are you REALLY talking about this now?!" Myka asked waving her arms towards the boxes.

"I get chatty when I'm hungry. How about I go make us sandwiches?" Pete said rubbing his belly and motioned out the door.

"Go, Pete." Myka said in a more than annoyed voice. She knew her tone was unnecessarily harsh but her emotions had the best of her at the moment. Pete threw his hands in the air in surrender and left the room.

Myka looked over at Pete's box and noticed a pile of books carelessly tossed aside. Reaching over for the books, Myka smiled when she noticed the bent corners of some of the books. Finding her way to the corner of the bed, she opened the books to the doggy-eared pages remembering the long arguments and conversations she and Helena had shared in their down time. Myka loved Helena's take on the stories and characters. Her eye for details was impeccable and she often alerted Myka to the little clues along the way that the agent had missed in her haste to devour each page. Helena couldn't refuse a good talk about literature and Myka knew it. Sometimes, she would ask Helena questions about a metaphor she long had known the answer to. She loved the pride that spread across the other woman's face when she was able to explain the beauty of the words used. Myka laid back onto the bed her mind swimming in fond memories of the woman's brilliant smile and cunning wit. She had never met anyone quite like Helena G. Wells and she knew she never would. Myka felt a pressure on her lower back and adjusted to relieve the discomfort. In her attempt, Myka's hand brushes against soft leather and she wrapped her fingers around the material and held it above her.

Helena was known for her extensive leather jacket collection, Myka often envied the clothing but knew it only looked so good because it was draped on Helena's gorgeous figure. Sitting up slightly to glimpse at the boxes, Myka noticed that this was the only piece of clothing in the boxes.

"What's so special about you?", Myka whispered to the jacket. She knew Helena did few things without distinct purpose. Myka fell back onto the bed running though the last couple of outfits she had seen the other woman in. It had been a while and it was hard to tell which brown jacket was which to be honest. Scrunching her brow, Myka thought harder, she held the fabric to her nose and breathed in deeply. Helena's perfume was still woven in to the threads of the lining. A grin spread across her lips and Myka held the jacket up to her nose once more.

"Yuuu ow see lof hm, don yu?" Pete's food-filled mouth ruined the moment.

"Yes, I'm aware. Helena is very happy with her life with Nate. I'm happy for them." Myka recited painfully as she sat up and folded the jacket in her lap.

"That's sweet, Myka, but that's not what I said." Pete corrected her as he leaned against the desk across from her.

Myka puffed her cheeks up in embarrassment and bowed her head; she was in no place to jab at Pete's horrible manners when she had been caught fawning over a jacket like a teenage girl.

"I said, 'You know she left him, don't you?'" Pete said looking straight the almost pouting woman.

Myka's head shot up and her eyes searched for a sign of joking in Pete's face. "She…" Myka began but the words were too hard to fathom.

"Left him." Pete said taking a large bite out off Myka's sandwich.

The words hit Myka like a brick wall she could feel her jaw drop but she felt frozen in place.

"Okay so not so much" Pete replied noticing his partners' complete shock at his words, "Mykes… Earth to Myka, paging Myka Bering. Do you read?" Pete called hoping to break through the glazed look on her face.

"I uh… Yeah, at a higher reading level than you ever will." Myka replied as she snapped back into the reality, "So she left him, as in 'left-left' him. Okay. How do you know?" she asked attempting to piece it all together.

"She told me this morning, I wanted to let Nate know that she was ok." Pete offered as he gestured to the Bed &amp; Breakfast.

"Oh." Myka said as her lips pursed and her eyes fell to the jacket in her lap.

Pete took another bite of Myka's sandwiched and grinned; he could already see the wheels turning in the woman's head.

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"If it's not the astrolade, then what could it be?!" Claudia asked stressfully running her fingers through her hair."Sykes is dead, Evil Artie is gone… I think!" Claudia's eyes squinted and he slowly reached for her Farnsworth.

"We've seen the last of him, Ms. Donovan." The cold voice was all too familiar to the team.

"Mrs. Frederick!" Steve announced nearly jumping out of his skin by her close and unannounced proximity to him.

"This is unlike anything the Warehouse has ever seen. The regents are greatly concerned for Agent Wells' safety but this has become a much larger issue. At this rate, the fire will burn through the quarantine in the next hour. At that time, the fire will be unstoppable. Whatever artifact that is causing it must be located and diffused before all is lost." Mrs. Frederick explained.

Artie, Claudia, Helena, and Steve all looked at each other in sheer panic.

"Is there anyway to buy us some time with one of these artifacts?" Claudia asked pointing to the items on the floor. Her question, however, remained unanswered when her eyes failed to find Mrs. Frederick amongst them. "Seriously!" She yelled.

"You heard Mrs. Frederick, our efforts have to go toward finding what's causing the fires. I'll call Pete and Myka and see if they have found any clues."

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"Nothing here, Artie." Myka said craning her neck to see his face on the Farnsworth, "We've gone through the boxes but nothing is sparking. Is it possible she has something on her?"

"No, no. Vanessa checked her this morning and she's wearing your clothes, right?" Artie responded, "We think this may be linked back to the astrolade. A new fire has erupted and is being contained in quarantine, the same location as when Syke's bomb destroyed the warehouse." His voice for once was clueless.

"Okay we have to think back to when you used it then." Myka said determined to solve the puzzle, "You said it was in the quarantine. Could one of incoming artifacts be affected by the bomb and cause this?"

"No, no we diffused and shelved all those items besides no activity is showing on the computers." Artie replied disgruntled.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Claudia yelled, "Artifacts are made! Artifacts can be created when a great or powerful deed has been done! I saw it once before!" Claudia had nearly jumped Artie and was not shoving her face into the screen.

"You mean you think this is a new artifact?" Pete asked taking the Farnsworth from Myka, "How are we supposed to find a new artifact?! That could be anything!"

"If Claudia is right, the artifact would have to be something we came into contact that day." Artie clarified.

"Okay well I'm officially off the hook then. I was dead at the time!" Jinks yelled as he leaned against a shelf in the background.

"Way to not be a DEAD WEIGHT." Pete yelled in return as he tried high fiving Jinks through the screen.

"Seriously?" Myka asked as she snatched the Farnsworth back, "What do you mean IF Claudia is right?" Myka asked confused.

"I know the theory not the practice. Mrs. Frederick only passes down knowledge that is specific to your purpose." Artie explained.

"What he's trying to say is that I know something he doesn't!" Claudia boasted, she wouldn't be able to say that again for a while.

"Way to go, Claudia!" Pete yelled, "How the student becomes the teacher! Teach us your ways, oh wise grasshopper!"

Artie was not happy about the turn of power but he handed the Farnsworth to the younger girl.

"Mrs. Frederick took me to a jewelry store that was about to be robbed. I was drawn to a woman and I watched as she took a bullet to save a baby's life. When I ran to check to see if she was ok, her bracelet shimmered, like a warehouse-esque shimmer. It became an artifact!" Claudia excitedly explained.

"Ok so it's something we came into contact but we need to narrow this down. When the astrolade reversed time, when did it return you to?"

"Uhh…. Myka, you and H.G. were being constricted by the pulley block from the Mary Celeste." Artie remembered motioning for Helena to join him.

When she stepped into view, Helena's face was notably flushed even on black and white screen, "I remember it well, Artie." Helena replied with a smile.

"Alright so everything we touched before that moment could have become an artifact." Myka concluded feeling herself blushing as well. Being held together by ropes had pushed her and Helena physically closer than they had allowed themselves to become; had it not been for the threat of death, Myka would have almost welcomed it.

"It's the meeting of a person, an object, and a moment." Claudia mumbled to herself remembering what Mrs. Frederick had said, "It's not just anything any time! It's a person, an object, and a moment!" Claudia exclaimed.

"Well obviously the person is H.G. " Jinks said trying to be as helpful as possible, "but what about the other two?"

"Helena, can you remember anything you came into contact that day?" Myka asked liking the way her name tasted on her lips.

"Unfortunately no, nothing out of the usual." Helena replied sadly.

"So it's the moment. The moment is what's going to help us figure this out." Claudia said, "but Artie you're the only one who was there for the whole thing. What could have created an artifact?"

Myka and Pete huddled around the Farnsworth waiting for his reply.

"I uhhh… let me get back to you." Artie said before closing the Farnsworth.

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"H.G. I have to tell them. It's the only thing that makes sense." Artie said turning to Helena. When Helena became curious of Artie's use of time travel, he confessed to using the astrolade and explained sacrifice that was made on the team's behalf. Realizing how vulnerable the team had made her, Helena swore Artie to secrecy. The less they knew, the easier it would be for her to leave them.

"It seems it's about that time." Helena said with a nod. Artie opened the Farnsworth once more and waited for Pete or Myka to answer.

"Sykes had hid the bomb in his wheelchair but it took much longer to find. We scrambled to diffuse bomb but nothing could break the case. Pete you even tried using a blowtorch but the case was impenetrable." Artie began to explain, "Helena had wondered off, I noticed she was messing with the electrical box but I thought she had come to a dead end as we had. Instead, she found an anomaly in the circuit that allowed her to reroute part of the barrier to the spot where Pete, Myka, and I were standing."

"But that would have meant…" Myka began to see where this was going.

"She sacrificed herself. Helena knew that the barrier had to be activated from outside and she…" Artie's voice trailed off at the memory of the explosion and the disappearance of H.G.'s face in a storm of fire.

"You saved us." Pete said shocked as he looked to a silent H.G. Wells on the screen.

Helena and Myka hadn't said a word, since Artie had begun his tale. Both women seemed to be lost in a world of contemplation.

"Helena…" Myka began unsure of what to say to the person willing to give up their life for your safety.

"It's quite alright, darling. I'd do it all again." Helena said conjuring up a smile.

"Well hopefully you won't have to H.G." Artie said interrupting the sentimental moment.

"So we have the moment!" Claudia decided, "H.G. were you touching anything when…when you.. when the bomb went off?"

"I don't know, I don't have memories of it just what Artie has said. Artie?" Helena asked feeling less that useful.

"No nothing she just stood there." Artie explained.

"So you had to be wearing it like the bracelet!" Claudia said, "It had to be something on you! Oh no, no, no, no.. " Claudia had begun to make progress when the fire burst from the quarantine tent and had quickly approaching the team.

"H.G. it wants you! You have to run!" Jinks yelled leaping in front of her while throwing her his Farnsworth, "RUN!".

Helena took off sprinting down the aisle. The fire was being slowed by Steve, Claudia, and Artie who had joined arms to create a blockade against the fire. The flames quickly surpassed them and began to crawl down corresponding aisles chasing Helena through the warehouse.

"Claudia, is she ok?" Myka asked once the team had regrouped.

"She's alright for now, I'm tracking Jink's Farnsworth through the warehouse. She's surprisingly quick for her age." Claudia joked and then realized the seriousness of the situation. "It had to be something she was wearing. Her sacrifice had to have turn something she was wearing into an artifact!" Claudia explained. Pete and Myka looked at each other and then to the leather jacket on the bed.

"Got it!" they yelled in unison.

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The fire was not just a few meters behind Helena and her lungs had begun struggle. The effects of the previous fires were showing and her pace slowed. She could hear the fire ripping through the warehouse behind her. Running out of options, Helena flung open the Farnsworth mid sprint.

"Myka, darling, I don't think I can outrun any longer." she gasped between haggard breaths, "You should know…" Helena had begun to say her goodbyes but was interrupted by Myka.

"WE FOUND IT! Pete, bag the jacket!" Myka yelled. Pete dove towards the bed, grabbed the leather jacket, and shoved it into a bag.

Instantly the fire around Helena dissipated. Her legs carried her further down the aisle before collapsing on her completely. Her lungs were now wheezing and failing to fill, the very last words Helena heard before closing her eyes were from Myka's lips, "It's going to be alright, Helena."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"But she's going to be alright though…" Myka confirmed after hearing Vannessa's explanation of Helena's damage lungs and slow healing burns.

"Yes, I would say so. She needs lots of rest for now and no unnecessary stress. That's why she'll be staying her in the inn. Abigail should be able to see after her." Vanessa said patting Myka on the shoulder as she and Artie began to leave the room.

"Vanessa, Artie… I think I should stay with her." Myka's eyes traveled up the stairs towards the broken woman, "Abigail could use some more time in the warehouse and getting Helena to rest is going to be more of a challenge than you realize." Myka smiled and looked back to the two standing in the doorway.

"I was hoping you'd say that, I have a little project for Abigail." Artie said patting his doctor's bag.

"I believe that would be just fine, Myka. Just give me a call if you need anything." Vanessa added as she left.

"Working on a little project seems like great rest!" Claudia said anxiously shaking her Farnsworth.

"Claude, why don't you give H.G. a moment before you overwhelm her with which ringtone to choose." Jinks said grabbing Claudia's elbow and dragging her out of the dining room.

Pete looked to excuse himself, "Well Mykes, I'm due for nap. Wake me if we get a ping?" He said quietly climbing the steps up to his room.

"Will do." Myka said with a forced smile. She had spoken so quickly that she hadn't even thought what she would say to Helena when she woke up. Everything had happened so fast. One minute Helena was playing housewife in Wisconsin and the next she was being chased by fire having already lost her life once before. It was all too much to process for Myka. She grabbed her laptop off the table, took a deep breath, and headed up towards Helena's room.

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Myka quietly turned the doorknob and stepped inside the small room; Helena was sleeping soundly in her old bed. The room was dark but Vanessa had set up some monitors beside her that blinked from time to time adding some light to the room and a saline drip to help with the healing. The oxygen mask, however, was the most surreal part of it all. Myka always thought of Helena as being an unstoppable force but now she seemed to have found her immovable object. Helena had seen more horrors than most in a lifetime and still she was able to face the next day. To see that very same woman, lying in the bed in front of her was staggering. Myka slowly moved to the desk and picked up the chair with one of her arms. Moving it beside of the bed, she sat down and placed the computer on her lap.

Myka's body felt tense but the growing and dissipating fog in Helena's oxygen mask was comforting to her; it was a sign that all was well. Myka took a deep breath and opened her laptop, the bright screen hurt her eyes and her fingers raced for the dimmer button. As the light faded she looked back up to the woman on the bed to be certain she hadn't been disturbed her. Helena laid there still, her chest rising and falling was the only lifelike movement. Myka looked down at her computer and began to type. Writing seemed like the only way to process all that had happened in the short amount of time. Page after page Myka filled with thoughts, questions, and the hard hitting emotions that had come and gone with the sudden arrival of a woman she thought she'd lost. Her fingers flew over the keys, halting only to relieve the growing pressure in her joints, Myka felt free to write whatever she wanted, whatever she needed to.

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Helena woke to the sounds of fingers rapping against a keyboard, adjusting her eyes to the sunlight escaping the closed blinds was more difficult than she expected. Her eyes were heavy, her body felt lethargic and did not respond to her as it used to. She laid there collecting her senses as the typing sound continued next to her. Finally Helena's eyes began to focus and she recognized the room and it's familiar walls. Turning her head to the left Helena worked her eyes to focus once again. A computer sat beside of her, the glowing insignia giving her a pretty good idea of it's owner. Just beyond the glow of the screen was a glasses-wearing Myka Bering. The features of her face were exaggerated by the surrounding shadows but her furrowed brow was impossible to miss. The wild curls were not brushed back into modest ponytail, which draped around her neck and fell onto a worn plaid shirt.

"I've heard of this look before, don't tell me you're retiring again." Helena joked as she pulled the mask from her face.

The foreign voice jolted Myka's body and her eyes shot up to its origin.

Helena laughed at the worried face she had caused."Settle darling, I'm not dead yet."

There was a rasp her in her voice that both women noticed.

"Helena..." the name left her lips like a question and an answer all in one. Myka slowly shut the computer and reached her hand forward toward Helena's, "You've been asleep for nearly two days now. I should call Vanessa and let her know you're awake." Myka's eyes turned to the phone on the desk but were brought back to the bed when she felt a squeeze on her hand.

"Why don't you give us a moment before they start poking and prodding me again." Helena said with a kind smile, her hand still grasping Myka's.

"Alright." Myka replied nervously.

"Are you a writer now?" Helena asked looking down at the closed laptop.

"Far from it… I'm just. It's sort of a… spy, romance novel… with sort of a sci-fi bend. Wow, that sounds just as bad as it did in my head. How are you feeling?" Myka rambled embarrassed by how pathetic it sounded.

"I'm feeling much better but I'd rather hear about this romance you're writing." Helena said with a naughty grin.

"It's really nothing, Helena. Just a way to pass the time when it's too dark to read. You know, everyone really does want to see you! Claudia's excited to have your input on her Farnsworth development and Pete hasn't stopped about you teaching him Kenpo." Myka offered attempting to pull her hand away from Helena's hold.

"You know." Helena said confidently looking Myka in the eyes, shifting her weight to sit up in the bed.

"What?" Myka asked anxiously, her eyes darting to anywhere in the room that wasn't where Helena was.

"You know that I am no longer with Nate." Helena accused as she crossed her arms.

There was a small moment where both refused to speak. Helena demanded an answer and Myka felt backed into a corner.

"Pete mentioned it. Yes." Myka countered crossing her arms as well. Her unease was obvious and Helena wouldn't let it go.

"And now you can't wait to stand being in a room alone with me." Helena quickly retorted lifting her chin into the air.

"Helena that's not it.. it's just… why didn't you tell me?" Myka asked leaning towards the bed.

"You weren't interested in catching up, remember?"

Myka instantly felt horrible when she remembered all the catty things she had said to Helena.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I was…" Myka tried to explain herself.

"Rightfully upset with me." Helena offered, "I don't blame you, Myka."

"No Helena I was horrible. I treated you like.." Myka's face was flushed and her eyes were filled with regret.

"Darling, it's alright now. However, it is a bit drafty would you mind…" Helena began to ask but Myka had already jumped up from the bed to grab another blanket.

As Myka was about to throw the quilt across the other woman's legs, her wrist was grabbed and stopped. "…joining me." Helena finished as she moved to the side of the bed.

"Oh! Of course." Myka quickly responded as she discarded the quilt and slid her legs under the covers. Myka sat up straight in the bed resting her back against the headboard, "Is this alright?"

"Days spent in a sleep-induced coma leave a person wanting for human contact." Helena explained as she nuzzled into Myka's side.

"Of course." Myka nodded as she folded her hands in her lap.

The two woman sat in the bed enjoying the closeness of the other for quite some time.

"It's true what they say." Helena offered, "you can hear the people around you when you're in a coma."

Myka turned her head to better see Helena's face, "and what did you hear?" she asked curiously.

"Pete and Agent Jinks are quite the gossips, you know." Helena admitted.

Myka laughed knowing that she was right, "Oh god, what's going on now?"

"I hear that you met a Ms. Jameson on your travels…" Helena jested.

"OH. That… well that was really just…uhhh… it was a swingers neighborhood and she and I… I'm not making it sound any better, am I?" Myka admitted after stumbling to find the right words.

"Not in the least, darling, but who am I to judge?" Helena asked with a playful nudge. "I'm glad you found someone to keep you company." She added, "There's no use in loneliness."

Myka let out a chuckle and nudged Helena right back.

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"So good to see you're awake, Ms. Wells." Vanessa announced as she entered the room, "I'm sorry to interrupt but you have quite the line of people waiting to see you and I was not aware that you had woken up." Vanessa said giving Myka a knowing eye.

"That would be my fault, doctor, I wanted a moment to feel like a human before I was treated as a pin cushion." Helena defended the other woman.

"No needles needed just need to check your vitals. Myka would you mind stepping out?" Vannessa asked as she moved toward the bed.

"I'd like her to stay, if you wouldn't mind." Helena confessed dropping her hand down on to Myka's leg. Myka looked down at the contact and a smiled.

"If that's what you wish!" Vanessa said as she began to untie the gown and held the stethoscope to the woman's bare back.

Noticing how Myka looked away as the gown slipped down her shoulder, Helena laughed and patted the woman's leg softy."All is well."

"All is well, indeed!" Vanessa said concluding her check up, "You seem to be healing quite nice, Helena. I'm happy to say you can get out of bed when you feel like it… under close supervision of course." Vannessa resolved looking directly at Myka.

"I won't let her out of my sight" Myka reassured the doctor as she left.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Agent Bering." Helena retorted as the door shut behind Vanessa.

Myka looked at her confused.

"I'm quite comfortable where I am." She said snuggling back into Myka's side but hissed when a sharp pain shot through her arm.

"Are you ok?" Myka asked sitting up to observe the other woman's pain.

"I'm just fine, darling. Still not used to being all bandaged up." Helena said as she pulled her right arm from the cover, surveying the white gauze covering her forearm.

Myka frowned at the only visible sign of Helena's injuries. She reached her left hand out and light grasped Helena's wrist. "You're not the only one." Myka sighed as she guided Helena's arm to lie across her stomach.

Helena smiled at the other woman's suave move and adjusted her body accordingly.

Myka had surprised herself with such a forward move but was relieved to see it welcomed by Helena.

They had never been in such an intimate disposition but it felt so natural. The two women laid there in blissful silence. Helena breathed deeply, taking in the familiar scent of the other woman's shampoo. Helena had tried nearly every brand, searching for Myka's scent, but none came close to the real thing. Helena squeezed the woman's torso lightly before melting into a relaxation.

Helena's arms were petite but strong. Myka remembered being held in her arms once before but at the end of a grappling hook. This embrace, however, was far more exciting.

Helena was the first to break the silence, "Are you ever going to tell me about the romance you're writing?" she asked with a smirk, "You know I have written a few things myself. I could help you if you'd have me."

"Nice try, Helena. Were you ever going to tell me about the bomb and oh… I don't know how you sacrificed yourself?!" Myka replied with of an accusatory voice.

"Oh, that. I suppose I didn't see much good in sharing it. What's done is done… unless it's undone." Helena tried to explain her twisted motives.

"But why did you do it? Why not find a way to save yourself as well?" Myka asked turning her head to look Helena in the eyes.

"I don't know if I can answer that. I don't remember it. All I have are dreams of that day and if they are any indication of how I felt, it was the only thing to do." Helena rationalized. "In my dreams I realize that there's no way to stop the bomb and so I resolve to protect who I can. Myka, I've done so many things that caused pain and suffering to others. Saving you all seemed like the last good thing I could do to try and make up for my own selfishness." Helena's voice was soft but filled with strength.

"Promise me that you're done." Myka pleaded.

"I will never hurt another innocent soul…" Helena began to promise.

"No. I want your word that I don't have to worry about losing you because of some random act of redemption. I'm done with it. You need to be too." Myka said sitting up straighter in the bed. "I've had to say goodbye to you far too many times already and I won't do it again." Myka's voice was almost angered but it was accompanied with a hint of begging.

"H.G., Vanessa tells me that you're awake!" Artie says as he comes barreling into Helena's room.

As soon as his eyes fall upon the women cuddling in bed his face flushed red and he raised his medical bag up against his face, "I'm so sorry! I should have knocked! I thought you'd be… well I thought… I uh…."

Myka and Helena laughed separated from each other's hold.

"Artie, did you need something?" Myka asked feeling just as embarrassed as he now looked.

"I came to see how long we could expect you for; the regents are concerned." Artie said lowering the bag from his face and making purposeful eye contact with Helena.

"You're not leaving are you?" Pete suddenly popped his head in the doorway, "You just got here!"

"Woah, woah, woah! You can't leave yet!" Claudia demanded as she joined the two men.

Footsteps could be heard coming up the steps and the group turned to see who else would be joining their protest. Jinks hadn't been aware of the commotion and came to a full stop in front of the door when he noticed five sets of eyes staring him down.

"Scone?" he asked holding a small plate out to them.

Pete, Claudia, and Artie all turned their attention back to Helena in anticipation of an answer.

Helena couldn't help but smile this moment was all too perfect for her. Turning to face Myka she said, "I'm not going anywhere."

***Thank you all for your feedback! I greatly enjoy having such active readers! Chapters will now be posted every other day! Please stay with us, you Bering &amp; Wells shippers will not be disappointed! -OhMyPosh***


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The days began to fly by with Helena present; each moment spent with her seemed too good to be true for Myka. Helena had settled into her old room and unpacked the few boxes of belongings she had. The monitors were taken out of the room as Helena's condition improved. Myka would wake each morning wondering if Helena would still be in her room. She worried that one morning she would wake up to find Helena missing and all her memories left behind. Nothing tangible connected Helena to the warehouse, even though Myka wished one thing would. She had been writing all night, her fingers began to cramp but she pushed through the pain. She pecked the keys furiously as her excitement grew with each written word, the sun began to rise behind her. Finishing her last few sentences, Myka shut the computer with force and hastily headed through the bed and breakfast and up the stairs. She walked down the hall and knocked anxiously on the door in front of her. On the other side of the door Helena sleepily answered as she finished wrapping a silk robe around her waist.

"Myka what are you doing?" Helena asked as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

"Helena…" Myka began as she stepped in closer to the other woman. She raised her hands to the woman's sharp jaw and with a quick swift motion, Myka planted her lips upon Helena's. The kiss was passionate and filled with urgency. Her lips moving with excitement to confess a yearning she had long suppressed. Her hands grasped at Helena's chin and jaw, her fingers moving to run through the jet-black hair. Her lips slowed as she realized that she had not completed the task she came to do. Pulling her lips away from Helena's mouth, Myka looked into the woman's surprised eyes.

"I love you. I have always loved you. I WILL always love you of that much I am absolutely certain and if you don't feel the same way…" Myka struggled to find the next few words only to be stopped by strong slender hands that grabbed at her waist pulling her closer once again. Helena's lips caressed and savored Myka's confession, her own kiss much more telling than intended. Helena's lips were just as eager, her hold on the other woman was strong and steady. Their lips met in a most enthusiastic manner until both stopped to gasp for air, a slight cough coming escaping from Helena lungs.

A helpless guilty smiles spreads across Helena's lips as she uncovers her mouth, "I believe I have a rather unhealthy obsession with you as well." Helena said before coughing once again.

"'Unhealthy' being the key word apparently." Myka joked as she tucked a strand of hair behind Helena's ear.

"I remember almost killing you a few times, I believe this makes for an even playing field." Helena said inviting the woman inside and shutting the door behind her.

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From then on Helena and Myka were nearly inseparable; they would spend hours reading together, both stopping to share a witty quip or asking for the other's interpretation on a passage. They would laugh and carry on as they shelved artifacts in the warehouse, most of the times not realizing that were the only two left behind as the hours drew closer to dinner. At meal times the two would sit across from each other and have entire conversations without saying a word their eyes doing most of the communicating while covert mouth of words were able to convey more difficult topics. The team almost never seemed to noticed as they talked, argued, and ate loudly with their mouths open, or perhaps that was just Pete.

No one dared asked about their relationship, Jinks stayed away from the topic out of respect for the two grown women. Claudia had wanted to ask but couldn't imagine Myka sharing all the juicy details and Helena was more a tease when it came to secrets. Pete, well Pete had begun seeing a waitress at the diner in town and spent large amounts of time trying to 'court' her, as Helena would say. His new relationship was a much-needed distraction from their own. Myka wasn't sure what to call it, they cared deeply for the other one but they hadn't discussed much more than their feelings. Helena was always so coy with Myka; it was hard to see exactly where this would lead but for now she was happy to have anything at all.

At nights Helena and Myka would take long walks and sit outside under the stars. When they were alone it became a game to see who would reach out for the other one's hand first. Myka longed for Helena's touch but also fought against it to seem less needy or clingy. Helena would ask her about the trips she had taken as she stroked her arm soothingly, Myka had begrudgingly went back to work after the team became outnumbered by a small town of people who had been whammied. Helena had promised that she would behave in the other woman's absence and this eased Myka's mind slightly. It made Helena feel like a juvenile to have a promise such a thing but she knew Myka was worried about her recovery. Helena was healing well but she still was not back at her previous health. Vanessa refused to clear her until her lungs had cleared up significantly. Myka had been helping with the healing process and had been very adamant that Helena does all the exercises she had read about in the physical therapy books. Helena couldn't believe that there were entire chapters devoted to lungs and their elasticity; medicine had come along way since she was last seriously injured. She should be happy about that, however, Helena grew tired of the little tasks and started looked forward to slacking while Myka was away.

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"And you did all your exercises this time?" Myka asked as she began to unpack her bag.

Helena had greeted her at the door with a cup of tea for the fifth time this week. It had quickly become their little ritual for when Myka would return from trips.

"Of course, darling. I'm not a child." Helena said smiling holding out the teacup to the busy woman.

Myka took the small cup from her and rolled her eyes; she took small sip and placed the cup down on her nightstand."You're lying." Myka said as she cross her arms.

Helena responded by sitting on the edge of the bed like a scorned child.

"My tea is always sweeter when you didn't do all of your physical therapy. You hate how much sugar I put in my tea." Myka said accusingly.

"Don't be silly, maybe I've just given up on trying to change your American ways." Helena offered still looking horribly guilty.

After a moment of silence Helena caved, "They are lungs, they are meant to breathe. I'm breathing aren't I? I'm not gasping for breath or wheezing as I climb the stairs. Really, Myka I think I'll be just fine now." Helena pointed out.

Myka refused to respond and simply went about unpacking her belongings from her bag.

"Oh and I've got two perfectly looking arms now!" Helena gloated as she held her unbandaged arms out in front of her.

"I'm happy for you but shouldn't their be scarring?" Myka asked looking at the pristine arms in front of her.

"I told Claudia you'd notice. We may have experimented with an artifact or two…" Helena offered with a smile.

"Artie won't be happy to know you've been using artifacts for person gain. "Myka replied sternly.

"Oh, please. He'll be happy to see your look of torture has disappeared with my scars." Helena pointed out.

Myka hated the reminder the fire had left. Helena's scars were a reminder of all the things she now wished to forget. Finding no argument on her behalf, Myka moved the conversation forward.

"How much progress did you and Claudia make on the Farnsworth?" Myka asked knowingly. If she hadn't been doing her physical therapy it meant that she was too busy working with Claudia on updated the communicators.

"It's in color now!" Helena said proudly.

"I'm not sure what good that will do but, that's great!" Myka said unenthusiastically throwing a stack of clothes into a hamper.

"The better to see those green eyes, my dear." Helena jested pulling Myka closer to her.

Myka towered over the seated woman, she couldn't help but feel like a worried parent at times. "I just want you to be healthy and safe, Helena." Myka said almost pouting as she dropped her chin.

Helena let a small chuckle escape her lips as she looked up at the grown woman's laughable sulking, "I'm plenty healthy, my love. And I've never felt more safe." With that Helena stood and held Myka's hands in her own; her eyes conveyed a comforting message that her words would fail to carry. Helena moved her hands to the other woman's neck and lightly pressed her lips against Myka's.

"Ok… I trust you." Myka said fondly as their lips parted.

"CIRCLE THE WAGONS!" Artie yelled from downstairs, "WE HAVE A PING!" Myka and Helena shared a tender look and began their decent down the stairs.

The team had huddled in the living room. Artie was standing in the middle of the room with his doctor's bag in hand; two spots were left open on the couch for Myka and Helena to sit. Although Helena wasn't allowed in the field just yet, she was an excellent resource have at their disposal. She often contributed useful bits of knowledge from her time at Warehouse 12. Myka appreciated having her back as a part of the team. It felt right that they all be there, solving puzzles and saving the day. Artie went about explaining to the team how a gondola in Venice had been transporting its patrons to and from the Renaissance era.

"A gondola ride to the 15th century, how romantic." Helena joked as she placed a hand on Myka's knee.

Myka's body tensed under Helena's hand and she quickly jumped up to survey a map that Artie had taken from his bag.

"I see so that's where we need to be." Myka said nervously biting her thumbnail as she quickly glanced at Helena who was faking interest in the map as well.

"Exactly!" Artie exclaimed as he handed Pete and Myka plane tickets, "Pack your bags and be on your way."

With that, the two agents headed upstairs to gather their belongings leaving the rest of the team to ponder the case.

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Pete and Myka were packing the car with their bags when Helena stepped outside to wish them luck.

"If I remember correctly, Venetian women are more than lovely." Helena said to Pete with a wink.

"Heck, I'll settle for lovely." Pete said as he closed the trunk and headed to the driver's side.

Myka had heard the comment and had scoffed at the two as she walked to her side of the car.

"Not nearly as lovely as some however." Helena offered as she stepped towards Myka, their hands grazing they both reach for the door handle.

Myka climbed into the seat as Helena slowly shut the door and leaned into the open window.

"Best of luck, we'll be here if you need us. I could join you of course. I haven't been to Italy in quite some time…" Helena began but was cut off my Myka's glare, "Alright, messaged received loud and clear." Helena said raising her arms into a surrender.

Myka laughed at the action and and smiled. "Maybe I'll bring you back one of those striped shirts and straw hats." Myka joked hoping to lighten the conversation.

Helena was pleased with this and leaned in to kiss Myka on the cheek but was dodged as the woman lunged forward to turn of the classic rock that now came blaring from the speakers.

"I'll see you when we get back." Myka replied with a less than genuine smile on her face as she placed her hand on top of Helena's.

Helena stepped away w from the car with a scowl and watched as the two agents disappeared down the road.

"Are we going to talk about that?" Pete asked noticing Myka's evasive maneuver.

"No." Myka replied looking straight forward.

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Pete and Myka returned days later, shirt and hat in hand as promised as well as a few little goodies for Claudia and Jinks from the actual Renaissance era that Pete insisted on taking with them.

"Thanks guys!" Claudia said running out of the room with a Swiss dagger tucked into her boot.

Jinks looked down at his his stiletto knife, "Pete you really could resist could you? Stiletto.. I get it. Funny…"

"Would you have preferred the shoe?" Pete joked, "I'm not sure they would have had your size." Pete said wrapping his arm around the other man's shoulder as they headed to the kitchen.

Myka turned to Helena who was holding the straw hat and shirt. Taking the hat from Helena's hands, Myka placed it on top of the other woman's head.

"Hmmm… cuuute, Helena!" Myka laughed. Helena looked ridiculous in the straw hat but she was being a good sport about it.

"I'm sorry to say I'm not much of a hat person." Helena said taking the hat from head and stepping closer to Myka, "But you… you could most definitely be!" Helena said plopping the hat atop the unruly curls. "Ah yes, you can row me through the canals of Venice whenever you please!" Helena leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Myka's cheek.

Myka's face blushed but she quickly she struck a pose to hide it, "I was a model once, you know." She said with a smile.

"I'm sorry to have missed that." Helena said with a smirk.

"Oooh! Looking good, Mykes!" Pete said as he walked back through the room with a large hoagie in his hands.

Myka laughed and took the hat off as she stepped away from the other woman.

Helena lifted a knowing eyebrow and sighed.

As Pete left the room Helena sat down on the sofa, "Alright, what is it?" Helena asked perceptively.

"What are you talking about?" Myka asked running a hand over her arm nervously.

"Just now you stepped away from me when Pete walked in the room… and before you left you ducked away from a kiss… Myka if I've done something wrong I deserve to know what." Helena explained defensively.

Myka took a deep breath and took a seat next the Helena on the sofa. She sat there in silence for a moment, her hands fidgeting as she sought out an explanation.

"Myka, whatever it is, I can take it. If you… if your feelings have changed I'd rather hear it from you now than live a lie another day." Helena pleaded as she covered the other woman's hands with her own.

"Helena, I love you! That's not going to change. It's just… I don't like to, I don't express my feelings well around others. I love what we have and I love that it's ours. I want to keep it that way. I've mixed business with pleasure before and paid the ultimate price. I don't want to chance that again. So…" Myka explained her heart heavy and her words conveying their weight.

"so… it will be ours. Just ours." Helena finished as she smiled lovingly into the green eyes that now were welling up with tears. Helena leaned in and kissed Myka on the forehead, "I have a haunting suspicion that the others already know about us, my love." Helena admitted with sense of humor.

"WE DO!" Claudia and Jinks yelled in unison from the kitchen.

Myka laughed, it wasn't as though they were hiding from the others; it just didn't seem necessary to make a grand announcement of their relationship or flaunt it in their faces.

"Then they know all that they need to." Myka replied louder than necessary ensuring that the others had heard her.

The women looked at each other and chuckled. They had all they needed right in front of them, no one else need be apart of it.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Nearly a month had passed and the team was back in action. Vanessa had cleared Helena for active duty which was a welcomed change to what had become her fairly domestic lifestyle. Helena would often join Claudia and Jinks in the field, this made it easier for she and Myka to separate the two parts of their lives. However, an artifact would arise that would need Helena's keen sense and Myka's vast knowledge. The two would happily be on their way just like old times, except with a few new perks to the trade. Their relationship was quickly accepted amongst the team. Artie had begun booking only one room on their trips, however, Myka would insist on keeping it professional in the field; a preference Helena grew impatient with but also used to her advantage.

She and Myka had been sent off to New York to investigate and artifact that was presumed to be driving certain stocks up. They had been there for nearly 3 days and had absolutely no leads, the stockbrokers were keeping their cards close to their chest and Artie and Claudia had yet to find anything that could affect stock shares. Realizing that they would have to step up their game, Helena and Myka went back to the hotel to prepare for the large fundraiser that they would be attending that evening.

"You know Helena, I really think that Walter Price is holding back on us. I was talking to him yesterday and he left me mid sentence to join the board members in the conference room." Myka explained as she attempted to tame her hair.

They were developing a plan of attack, a sort of divide and conquer approach for the evening and it was important that each woman knew just who she was working over.

"Sounds quite intriguing, darling." Helena called from the bathroom where she had retreated to freshen up.

"Yeah, so I think maybe you should take him since he's already avoiding…oh…my…god…Helena!" Myka said as she turned to face the other woman.

Helena was standing in the doorway in a skintight, straplessred dress. Her porcelain skin seemed to glow beneath the tight material. Myka's jaw dropped and her all intentions to finish her sentence were gone.

Reveling in the woman's reaction, Helena sauntered over to Myka holding out small gold necklace, "Help me with the clasp?" Helena asked as she turned her back to and swept aside her hair.

The red dress, the nude heels, the smell wafting off of Helena's neck, it was all too much for Myka and she struggle to pull herself together.

"Uhhhh… yeah.. I mean yes. Here." Myka reached her arms around Helena and situated the small chain across her neck, stumbling with the clasp longer than she was proud of. "I thought we had decided to…" Myka began to ask but couldn't find the words.

"You have your ways and I have mine, love." She said as she sashayed across the room and to the door. "Coming?"

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Myka had already made a few laps around the large art gala. Business men and women from all across the world were present and were throwing away thousands of dollars as if they were pennies. Trying to blend in, she had struck up conversations with a small group of interns near the back. They were griping about their accounts and the loss they had faced due to the insane increase in other stocks. Myka decided this would be her "in" and acted as though she too were an intern. The others were far too eager to dish on their bosses distasteful behavior and rumors of insider trading. Interesting but not necessarily what Myka was looking for.

"Who. Is. That?!" One of the male interns asked pointed across the room.

Myka didn't have to look up, she had a feeling she knew exactly whom they were talking about.

"Oooh! Baby! This is why I become a stockbroker." Another intern replied.

"She's probably one of the partners' mistress. Their wives always seem to be out of town for these little gatherings." One of the female interns said with distaste.

"I wouldn't mind making her my mistress." Said another.

Myka refused to look, Helena certainly wasn't about blending in.

"Oh man, she's with Price. That explains it." Said the first intern.

"What?" Myka said swinging her body around.

There Helena stood at the side of the stage arm and arm with Walter Price. They would have looked like a couple had Myka not known any better. She could hear Helena's laugh carry across the room and scowled at the man's arm now reaching across her waist.

"I wouldn't let her get away if I was him. She looks like she turn even Schmidt into a man!" and intern said as they others broke into a fit of laughter.

"Well played." Myka murmured as she scooped a glass of champagne of a passing waiter's tray.

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"You better slow down there, you don't want to get trashed at a benefit." One of the female interns said to Myka as she finished her sixth glass of champagne, "You could get fired."

"Okay! Listen. If I want to drink champagne, I can drink champagne. What are they going to do? Fire me? HA!" Myka had officially had one too many.

The sight of Helena flirting and laughing with all the executives had made her sick to her stomach and she had chosen cope with a little bit to drink. Helena was being passed around like a trophy, at one point she had been pulled up on stage by one of the most wealthy CEO's to present his donation of 1.3 million dollars. Helena certainly had her own way of doing things.

Realizing that her jealousy was getting the best of her, Myka headed towards the bathroom to freshen up or sober up as necessary.

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"Excuse me gentlemen, I believe I've just spotted a friend." Helena said pulling herself out of the arms Walter Price. Noticing Myka's direct route to the bathroom, Helena was able to cut her off and meet her in the middle of the gala.

"Hello, darling." Helena said as she stepped directly into Myka's path.

"Helena." Myka slightly nodded her head as she faked a smile.

"How's everything on your side?" Helena asked as she glanced over the to group of interns who were now taking turns looking over at them.

"Very well!" Myka lied, "I've gotten some very important information about the board members. I think I've got it figured out in fact!" Myka's lying was only getting worse as the champagne began to affect her more.

"Splendid, so you know it's their wives then." Helena offered as she coyly waved to one of the interns at Myka's table.

"Yes! Their wives. Of course. Their wives?" Myka asked blowing her own bluff.

"Oh yes, they've been driving up their husbands' stocks so that they can be awarded their fifty percent once they divorce the disgusting pigs." Helena explained as she reached out a hand to steady Myka's slightly wobbling stature.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm quite fine, thank you. Not as fine as you are though…" Myka slurred.

"Excuse me?" Helena asked with a grin.

"That's not what I meant. Do you have to let them drool all over you anyway?" Myka asked seeming just a tad upset.

"Myka Bering, are you jealous?" Helena asked playfully, fully knowing that her little charade was working all too well.

"No, I'm not. I just… I just don't… it's not necessary.. to…" Myka tried to explain her foolishness but failed.

"Alright then, come along." Helena said as she grabbed Myka's wrist and lead her to the executives.

"Gentlemen, this evening has been absolutely love but I'm sorry to say I must leave you." Helena addressed the small circle of men.

"Oh but Helena we were just starting to have fun…" Walter Price flirted.

"Well Walter, you see my wife and I only arranged for nanny until midnight and I do hate to keep her waiting." Helena explained as she grabbed her arm around Myka's waist.

"Your….wife?" one of the executives asked as his jaw dropped.

"Indeed, Harry. Now do be a good boy and tell your wife I say hello." Helena smiled and turned on her heels as dragged Myka out of the gala.

"Your wife?" Myka asked once they had gotten into the car.

"If you're going to act like a jealous spouse you might as well be treated like one!" Helena defended as she put the car in drive and set off for the hotel.

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Life for Warehouse 13 had returned to its former glory. Pete had even managed to win over the waitress in town and was enjoying a fairly normal life. Not being able to tell Meghan about the warehouse, Pete was actually able to have to have his cake and eat it too. On slower days the couples would attempt lives of recreation and leisure. Helena learned to bowl and had become quite good at it to Pete's disappointment.

"I believe that's another strike making my score… 250 to your…. 183." Helena said adding up the scores on an old-fashioned scorecard.

"You know the lane will add up your scores for you right?" Pete said pointing the screen in front of them.

"Oh, I'm aware but I can't very well carry that screen around with me to remind you that you've lost can I?" Helena explained waving the card in his face.

"Beginners luck." Pete rationalized.

"It's alright, baby. I still think you're cute." Meghan said as she pushed back Pete's hair.

Pete face lit up and he raised his chin like proud pup.

"So Helena, Pete never told me how you and Myka met!" Meghan noted as she took a sip of her soda.

Helena's eyes went to Myka, then Pete, then back to Myka, they hadn't thought of a story that would be acceptable to tell anyone on the outside.

"We were roommates at Iowa Tech, isn't that right Helena?" Myka interjected.

"Yes, those crazy days on the quad." Helena said with a smile.

"Oh how lucky for you two! That's so sweet, my best friend Maggie met her husband in college!" Meghan replied giddily.

"Who's up for another round?" Pete asked jumping up to stretch.

"Come on H.G. give me a chance to whip your butt." Pete pleaded.

"Alright but only because I'm afraid Meghan may leave you after your last round." Helena quipped back as she joined Pete at the ball return.

"'H.G.' is that short for something?" Meghan asked curiously.

"Helena George." Myka explained.

"H.G. Wells?" Meghan asked.

"What's that?" Helena asked hearing her name.

"Your name it shortens to H.G. Wells like the writer?" Meghan asked with a laugh.

"Oh yes, uh… my family is actually a decedent of the great man himself!" Helena announced with pride. "It's our little way to pay tribute. Have you read any of this works?" Helena asked now looking to pet her ego.

Pete nearly spit soda everywhere at Helena's words and Myka had rolled her eyes at the use of the word "great".

"In school they had us read The Time Machine but, I just read the synopsis online. No offense but it's really not my thing." Meghan admitted.

Helena's mood completely dropped and she slumped into a seat beside of Myka. Myka couldn't help but laugh at the less than graceful let down Helena had just experienced.

"I think I'm going to get a pretzel, anyone want anything?" Meghan asked as she headed toward the snack bar.

They three shook their heads and turned their attention back to the disappointed woman.

"You're still my favorite author, H.G. Wells" Myka whispered into her ear.

Helena couldn't help but smile "Thank you, darling." She said patting Myka's knee's before standing up and taking a bowling ball from the rack, "Now let's see if I can redeem myself." She said as she threw the ball down the lane.

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Having Helena on the team had greatly increased their productivity, there were more artifacts to catalogue than there seemed room to store them before they were shelved. Artie saw no reason to overflow the warehouse and would give the team days off to do was they pleased. Myka had been typing away downstairs when she reached a point of difficulty. Closing the computer, she headed upstairs to seek out Helena's assistance. Myka wondered up to Helena's room with the laptop tucked under her arm.

"Don't tell me the day has come that I get to see what you've been so secretive about!" Helena joked hopefully as she say the woman standing in front of her open door.

Myka had been very adamant about her work being private. She leaned against the doorframe with a troubled look, "I'm having an issue finding my characters motivation."

Helena had to laugh at her the other woman's pouting face, "Come sit and I'll see if I can't help." Helena said patting the space on the bed beside of her.

Myka climbed onto the bed and opened the computer.

"So tell me about your character then, darling." Helena asked with a proud smile upon her face.

"Well, she's a very independent woman. Brilliant, beautiful, too confident for her own good… but she has a sordid past…" Myka began to explain an anxious smile spreading across her face, "You see she has this idea that she wants a family, a normal life I guess and she goes through a world of trouble to find one. And she actually manages to make a life for herself away from her crazy past." Myka explained choosing her words carefully.

Helena squinted her eyes slightly pieces together the pieces. She couldn't decide if the similarities were intentional or fruedian and gave the woman the benefit of the doubt. "Well that seems like a perfectly understandable motive, to want a life she had never had!" Helena offered.

"Yes, yes, it does but she doesn't stay with them…" Myka further explained, "She leaves them. She goes back to her past."

Helena now knew all too well whom Myka was referring to.

"And you want to know why she would leave her dream behind?" Helena added.

"Exactly, why get everything you want and then leave it?" Myka asked honestly.

Helena leaned forward and shut Myka's computer she was buying herself time to answer. Realizing the route she should take she smiled and looked up to meet Myka's waiting eyes.

"It sounds like your character lives with a great deal of confliction. Coming from a sordid background, perhaps she thought a 'normal' life was the only answer to save her from herself." Helena began to explain, "But sometimes… we seek out something only to find an emptiness where she had hoped to find wholeness."

Myka nodded her head as she tried to understand the words coming at her.

"Myka, I left Nate because I was lying to both of us. I was lying to Nate when I pretended to be happy and I was lying to myself when I said you and I were better off apart. I woke up day after day thinking that something would click, that my longing for you would fade and I would forget all about this. Us. But… I only found a growing hole that consumed me day in and day out." Helena's confession sounded almost like apology.

Myka reached out and held Helena's hand in her own.

"And now?" Myka asked nervously.

"Now… now I know without a doubt in my mind that my place is with you, sharing a life of endless wonders."

"Endless wonders... I like the sound of that." Myka said with a grin.

The End.


End file.
